Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced he has resigned as an MP with immediate effect, SKY News reported.
The former prime minister said he is standing down in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency ahead of the Privileges Committee report into whether he misled Parliament. It is pertinent to mention that Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was grilled by a cross-party parliamentary panel for several hours in March to establish whether he knowingly misled the House of Commons over the party gate scandal of COVID law-breaking parties at Downing Street.
In a statement, the former prime minister said he has received the findings from the privileges committee report into whether he misled MPs over party gate.
“Much to my amazement they are determined to use the proceedings against me to drive me out of parliament”, he said.
Johnson’s statement did not say what sanction the committee recommended, but a suspension from the Commons of 10 days or more – if approved by MPs – would trigger a recall petition which would then result in a by-election if 10 per cent of his constituents backed the move, SKY News reported.
Johnson said, “I have written to my association in Uxbridge and South Ruislip to say that I am stepping down forthwith and triggering an immediate by-election.
“I am very sorry to leave my wonderful constituency. It has been a huge honour to serve them, both as Mayor and MP.
“But I am proud that after what is cumulatively a 15-year stint I have helped to deliver among other things a vast new railway in the Elizabeth Line and full funding for a wonderful new state-of-the-art hospital for Hillingdon, where enabling works have already begun,”SKY News reported.
The cross-party privileges committee, led by Labour MP Harriet Harman, has been assessing whether Mr Johnson misled parliament with his statements claiming all COVID rules and guidelines were followed by Number 10 during lockdown gatherings, SKY News reported.
Johnson said the committee “have still not produced a shred of evidence that I knowingly or recklessly misled the Commons”.
“They know perfectly well that when I spoke in the Commons I was saying what I believed sincerely to be true and what I had been briefed to say, like any other minister,” he said.
Johnson was asked repeatedly by a cross-party parliamentary panel in March this year whether he attended parties, broke lockdown rules, misled Parliament, and should resign.
Johnson denied deliberately lying, but if found to have done so, he could face suspension or even lose his seat in Parliament.
He told the committee that the rule-breaking events were wrong and “I bitterly regret it,” but added, “hand on heart, that I did not lie to the House.”
