Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson lied to the House of Commons, according to a parliamentary committee. He is therefore stepping down as Member of Parliament with immediate effect, as Johnson announced on Friday night. At the same time, he stressed that he did not understand the committee’s allegations in the scandal surrounding the illegal Downing Street blockade celebrations.
The committee on the “Partygate” affair, on which MPs from Johnson’s Conservative Party are also represented, recommended suspending the former prime minister for 10 days, British media reported unanimously. The case is also likely to burden current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Johnson said he was very sad to leave Parliament, at least for now. But he was “expelled from Parliament with outrageous bias” in “an undemocratic manner” by a committee chaired by a Labor Party politician. This comes from a small handful of people who have no evidence to support their claims.
It was an honor to serve as an MP and Mayor of London, the statement said. Johnson’s northwest London constituency is due to hold a by-election amid a slump in polls for the Tory Conservatives.
Johnson clearly criticized his successor Sunak. When he left Downing Street in the summer of 2022, the Conservatives were just behind the strongest opposition party, Labour, in the polls. “That gap has gotten a lot bigger now,” Johnson said. Polls currently point to a resounding defeat for the Conservatives in the parliamentary elections scheduled for 2024.
Johnson still has many supporters, especially at the party’s grassroots, in contrast to Sunak, who many members see as the populist’s “regicide”. The move exposes infighting within the Conservative Party, Sky News reported.
The parliamentary commission had already handed over the results of the investigation to Johnson. Members of the Privileges Committee have given the 58-year-old two weeks to respond, the BBC reported on Friday. The “warning letter” lists points of criticism and the respective evidence, as well as the punishment that MPs intend to recommend. With his resignation, Johnson is now preventing a vote in the House of Commons.
The committee is investigating whether Johnson lied to Parliament about the illegal Downing Street blockade party scandal – and has now apparently responded in the affirmative. During the corona pandemic, government officials and officials have repeatedly gathered on Downing Street to celebrate with alcohol and music, contrary to regulations. Johnson and Sunak were fined for attending an event. The former prime minister stressed that the commission did not present an “excerpt” of proof of his misconduct.
As it became known shortly before Johnson’s resignation, the Brexit champion rewarded several confidants and officials in the “Partygate” case with seats in the House of Lords and royal honors. That’s according to Johnson’s “Prime Minister Resignation Honors List” published late on Friday. His former office manager, Martin Reynolds, who organized an illegal blockade party in Downing Street with a request to bring his own alcohol, is also given a royal title.
Like all outgoing prime ministers, Johnson, who resigned in September 2022 under pressure from his party, could nominate new members for the House of Lords or nominate them for honours. The opposition criticized Johnson for abusing the tradition of favouritism. Former Johnson employees were also outraged.