BBC Audience Applauds And Cheers After Being Told Boris Johnson Had Resigned
Any Questions presenter Alex Forsyth revealed the breaking news during last night's programme.
Kevin Schofield
Johnson stunned Westminster by unexpectedly announcing his resignation on Friday evening with a furious blast at the privileges committee investigating whether he lied to parliament over partygate.
The former prime minister said he was the victim of a “witch hunt” and a “kangaroo court”.
He accused the committee - which has a Conservative majority - of trying to “drive me out”, all-but confirming that he has been found guilty and was facing a lengthy suspension from the Commons.
Johnson said: “It is very sad to be leaving parliament, at least for now, but above all I am bewildered and appalled that I can be forced out, anti-democratically, by a committee chaired and managed, by Harriet Harman, with such egregious bias.”
The former PM - who resigned in disgrace last year - also took aim at Rishi Sunak’s government, accusing it of destroying his legacy.
He said: “When I left office last year the government was only a handful of points behind in the polls. That gap has now massively widened.
“Just a few years after winning the biggest majority in almost half a century, that majority is now clearly at risk.
“Our party needs urgently to recapture its sense of momentum and its belief in what this country can do.
“We need to show how we are making the most of Brexit and we need in the next months to be setting out a pro-growth and pro-investment agenda. We need to cut business and personal taxes – and not just as pre-election gimmicks – rather than endlessly putting them up.
“We must not be afraid to be a properly Conservative government.”
Any Questions presenter Alex Forsyth revealed the breaking news during last night's programme.
Kevin Schofield
HUFFPOST
10/06/2023
The audience at the recording of a BBC radio show burst into applause after being told Boris Johnson had quit as an MP.
‘Any Questions’ presenter Alex Forsyth broke the news during this week’s edition of the Radio Four programme.
She said: “We do record on a Friday evening, it goes out on a Saturday, but I do want to bring you some news that’s just broken on Friday evening, which is that Boris Johnson has resigned as an MP with immediate effect.”
At that point, the audience in Rhosygilwen, Pembrokeshire, began clapping, whistling and cheering loudly for several seconds.
10/06/2023
The audience at the recording of a BBC radio show burst into applause after being told Boris Johnson had quit as an MP.
‘Any Questions’ presenter Alex Forsyth broke the news during this week’s edition of the Radio Four programme.
She said: “We do record on a Friday evening, it goes out on a Saturday, but I do want to bring you some news that’s just broken on Friday evening, which is that Boris Johnson has resigned as an MP with immediate effect.”
At that point, the audience in Rhosygilwen, Pembrokeshire, began clapping, whistling and cheering loudly for several seconds.
Johnson stunned Westminster by unexpectedly announcing his resignation on Friday evening with a furious blast at the privileges committee investigating whether he lied to parliament over partygate.
The former prime minister said he was the victim of a “witch hunt” and a “kangaroo court”.
He accused the committee - which has a Conservative majority - of trying to “drive me out”, all-but confirming that he has been found guilty and was facing a lengthy suspension from the Commons.
Johnson said: “It is very sad to be leaving parliament, at least for now, but above all I am bewildered and appalled that I can be forced out, anti-democratically, by a committee chaired and managed, by Harriet Harman, with such egregious bias.”
The former PM - who resigned in disgrace last year - also took aim at Rishi Sunak’s government, accusing it of destroying his legacy.
He said: “When I left office last year the government was only a handful of points behind in the polls. That gap has now massively widened.
“Just a few years after winning the biggest majority in almost half a century, that majority is now clearly at risk.
“Our party needs urgently to recapture its sense of momentum and its belief in what this country can do.
“We need to show how we are making the most of Brexit and we need in the next months to be setting out a pro-growth and pro-investment agenda. We need to cut business and personal taxes – and not just as pre-election gimmicks – rather than endlessly putting them up.
“We must not be afraid to be a properly Conservative government.”
Former prime minister blames a parliamentary probe into the "Partygate" scandal for driving him out
Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a confidence vote, on 6 June 2022 (AFP)
By MEE staff
Published date: 9 June 2023
Britain's former Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday announced his resignation as an MP, accusing a parliamentary probe into the "Partygate" scandal for driving him out.
Johnson, 58, said he was stepping down with immediate effect, "triggering an immediate by-election" in his seat, which heaps political pressure on his successor, Rishi Sunak.
Johnson is currently being investigated by a parliamentary committee over whether he lied to MPs about lockdown-breaching parties at Downing Street.
In the statement, Johnson said he had received a letter from the committee "making it clear – much to my amazement – that they are determined to use the proceedings against me to drive me out of parliament.
"They have still not produced a shred of evidence that I knowingly or recklessly misled the Commons," he said.
Speaking to the committee in March, Johnson denied intentionally misleading parliament.
"I did not lie, and I believe that in their hearts the Committee know it," Johnson said in the statement on Friday.
"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 added.
Johnson said he "corrected the record as soon as possible".
He accused the committee of being a "kangaroo court" and said that its "purpose from the beginning has been to find me guilty, regardless of the facts”.
Political scene
Johnson has loomed large over the UK political scene. During his tenure as prime minister, he oversaw some of the biggest crises to face the country in recent years, primarily the Covid-19 pandemic and the post-Brexit process of decoupling the UK from the European Union.
His last year in office on the foreign policy front was dominated by the war in Ukraine. He positioned himself as a staunch advocate of Kyiv, but he also had some notable Middle East moments.
Is Boris Johnson staging a political comeback?Read More »
Johnson faced criticism from British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe after her release from Iran for responding too slowly to her imprisonment. His government later announced that it had paid a debt owed to Iran dating back to the 1979 Islamic Revolution on the same day Zaghari-Ratcliffe returned to the UK.
While a series of ethics scandals led to Johnson’s downfall as prime minister and now exit from parliament, he also had some Middle East gaffes.
In 2016, Johnson, who often references his Ottoman and Turkish heritage, published a poem about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in which he described the Turkish leader as a "wankerer from Ankara" and implied he had sex with goats.
In one of his last foreign engagements before resigning as prime minister, Erdogan jokingly addressed Johnson on video during a Nato summit, saying: "This one is a disgrace to us", apparently in reference to his Turkish heritage. Johnson responded with "very nice, very nice" in Turkish.
Decrying 'witch hunt', Boris Johnson resigns from UK parliament
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves his home in London.
PHOTO: Reuters
PUBLISHED ONJUNE 09, 2023
LONDON - Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson abruptly quit as a member of parliament on Friday in a furious protest against lawmakers investigating his behaviour, reopening deep divisions in the ruling Conservative Party ahead of a general election expected next year.
Johnson had been under investigation by a parliamentary inquiry looking into whether he misled the House of Commons about lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street during the Covid-19 pandemic.
After Johnson received a confidential letter from the committee, he accused lawmakers investigating him of acting like a "kangaroo court" and being determined to end his political career.
Accusing the committee of mounting a "political hit job", Johnson said in a statement: "I am being forced out by a tiny handful of people, with no evidence to back up their assertions."
Parliament's privileges committee - the main disciplinary body for lawmakers - had the power to recommend Johnson be suspended from parliament. If the suspension is for more than 10 days, voters in his constituency could have demanded he stood for re-election to continue as their representative.
Johnson hinted that he could return to politics, declaring he was leaving parliament "for now".
But the decision to resign may be the end of his 22-year political career, where he rose from parliament to mayor of London and then built a profile that tipped the balance of the 2016 European Union referendum in favour of Brexit.
Johnson, whose premiership was cut short in part by anger in his own party and across Britain over Covid-19 rule-breaking lockdown parties in his Downing Street office and residence, said the committee had not found "a shred of evidence" against him.
"I am not alone in thinking that a witch hunt is underway to take revenge for Brexit and ultimately to reverse the 2016 referendum result," he said. "My removal is the necessary first step, and I believe there has been a concerted attempt to bring it about."
The investigation is chaired by a senior Labour Party lawmaker, but the majority of lawmakers on the committee are Conservatives.
The committee said it will meet on Monday (June 12) to conclude its inquiry and will publish its report soon. A spokesperson for the committee said Johnson had "impugned the integrity" of parliament with his resignation statement.
Attack on Sunak
The resignation will trigger a by-election for his constituency in west London. It is the second in a day for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak after an ally of Johnson, Nadine Dorries, announced she would step down.
Angela Rayner, deputy leader of the Labour Party, said: "The British public are sick to the back teeth of this never-ending Tory soap opera played out at their expense."
Johnson came to power nearly four years ago, promising to deliver Brexit and rescue it from the bitter wrangling that followed the 2016 referendum. He shrugged off concerns from some fellow Conservatives that his narcissism, failure to deal with details, and a reputation for deceit meant he was unsuitable.
Partygate panel to publish inquiry
report after Boris Johnson quits as MP
(Victoria Jones/PA)
FRI, 09 JUN, 2023 -
PATRICK DALY, PA POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT
A report into whether Boris Johnson misled MPs over his partygate assurances will be published “promptly” after the former prime minister’s decision to dramatically quit the Commons.
The UK'sCommons Privileges Committee said the cross-party panel of MPs will meet on Monday to complete its inquiry.
It comes after Mr Johnson launched a blistering attack on the Conservative-majority committee, comparing it to a “kangaroo court” and a “witch hunt”, as he announced his intention to stand down as an MP and trigger an immediate by-election.
In a statement, a spokesman said: “The committee has followed the procedures and the mandate of the House at all times and will continue to do so.
“Mr Johnson has departed from the processes of the House and has impugned the integrity of the House by his statement.
“The committee will meet on Monday to conclude the inquiry and to publish its report promptly.”
Mr Johnson had accused the probe, chaired by veteran Labour MP Harriet Harman, of “bias” and suggested it was attempting to use its investigation to “drive me out of Parliament” in a move he said was motivated by a desire to reverse Brexit.
Several reports have suggested the committee had ruled that Mr Johnson did lie to the Commons when he said that covid rules were followed in Downing Street following reports that lockdown-busting parties were held during the pandemic.
Boris Johnson accused Harriet Harman’s committee of ‘bias’ (House of Commons/UK Parliament)
The committee was said to be recommending a 10-day suspension from the Commons, a conclusion which would have resulted in a recall petition among his constituents and a potential by-election in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency.
Mhairi Black, SNP deputy Westminster leader, said the former No 10 incumbent “jumped before he was pushed”.
The former Conservative Party leader’s announcement that he was quitting as an MP came only hours after his resignation honours list had been published, in which he gave peerages, knighthoods and damehoods to close allies.
Mr Johnson’s resignation means Rishi Sunak’s Tories face a tough battle to hold onto his old seat at an upcoming by-election.
Polling released by Savanta suggested Labour, which was 7,000 votes behind in second place at the 2019 election in Uxbridge, currently holds a 14-point lead over the Tories in Mr Johnson’s former west London constituency.
Even before Mr Johnson’s decision to stand down, the constituency was already in Labour’s top 100 target seats at the next election, which is expected to be held next year, as Sir Keir Starmer seeks a majority to put him into Downing Street.
The contest was the second by-election triggered on Friday following former culture secretary Nadine Dorries’ decision to quit the Commons immediately, rather than wait until the next election.
The committee was said to be recommending a 10-day suspension from the Commons, a conclusion which would have resulted in a recall petition among his constituents and a potential by-election in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency.
Mhairi Black, SNP deputy Westminster leader, said the former No 10 incumbent “jumped before he was pushed”.
The former Conservative Party leader’s announcement that he was quitting as an MP came only hours after his resignation honours list had been published, in which he gave peerages, knighthoods and damehoods to close allies.
Mr Johnson’s resignation means Rishi Sunak’s Tories face a tough battle to hold onto his old seat at an upcoming by-election.
Polling released by Savanta suggested Labour, which was 7,000 votes behind in second place at the 2019 election in Uxbridge, currently holds a 14-point lead over the Tories in Mr Johnson’s former west London constituency.
Even before Mr Johnson’s decision to stand down, the constituency was already in Labour’s top 100 target seats at the next election, which is expected to be held next year, as Sir Keir Starmer seeks a majority to put him into Downing Street.
The contest was the second by-election triggered on Friday following former culture secretary Nadine Dorries’ decision to quit the Commons immediately, rather than wait until the next election.
Boris Johnson criticised Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s administration in his resignation statement (Danny Lawson/PA)
Mr Johnson said he was “stepping down forthwith” after receiving a letter from Ms Harman’s inquiry setting out its position.
However, he left the door open to making a return to frontline politics, saying he was leaving Parliament “for now”.
In a scathing attack on the Privileges Committee, he accused the MPs of producing a yet-to-be-published report “riddled with inaccuracies and reeks of prejudice” while providing him with “no formal ability to challenge anything they say”.
“They know that I corrected the record as soon as possible; and they know that I and every other senior official and minister – including the current Prime Minister and then occupant of the same building, Rishi Sunak – believed that we were working lawfully together,” he said.
“I did not lie, and I believe that in their hearts the committee know it.”
He said he was “bewildered and appalled” at being “forced out, anti-democratically” by a probe that he claimed had set out from the beginning to “find me guilty, regardless of the facts”.
The Privileges Committee inquiry into Mr Johnson’s partygate comments is made up of seven MPs, with the four Tories – Sir Bernard Jenkin, Sir Charles Walker, Alberto Costa and Andy Carter – holding the majority.
Their inquiry took both written and oral evidence from Mr Johnson, along with other witnesses, with the former British leader giving testimony during a lengthy session held in March.
Mr Johnson said he was “stepping down forthwith” after receiving a letter from Ms Harman’s inquiry setting out its position.
However, he left the door open to making a return to frontline politics, saying he was leaving Parliament “for now”.
In a scathing attack on the Privileges Committee, he accused the MPs of producing a yet-to-be-published report “riddled with inaccuracies and reeks of prejudice” while providing him with “no formal ability to challenge anything they say”.
“They know that I corrected the record as soon as possible; and they know that I and every other senior official and minister – including the current Prime Minister and then occupant of the same building, Rishi Sunak – believed that we were working lawfully together,” he said.
“I did not lie, and I believe that in their hearts the committee know it.”
He said he was “bewildered and appalled” at being “forced out, anti-democratically” by a probe that he claimed had set out from the beginning to “find me guilty, regardless of the facts”.
The Privileges Committee inquiry into Mr Johnson’s partygate comments is made up of seven MPs, with the four Tories – Sir Bernard Jenkin, Sir Charles Walker, Alberto Costa and Andy Carter – holding the majority.
Their inquiry took both written and oral evidence from Mr Johnson, along with other witnesses, with the former British leader giving testimony during a lengthy session held in March.
Boris Johnson pictured giving evidence to the Privileges Committee in March (House of Commons/UK Parliament)
In his resignation statement, Mr Johnson was also critical of Mr Sunak’s administration, questioning the decision to increase taxes and abandoning the prospect of a free trade deal with the US.
But he said the Tory Party has the “time to recover its mojo and its ambition and to win the next election”.
Mr Johnson became prime minister four years after returning as an MP, having stood down as MP for Henley in 2008 after being elected mayor of London, replacing Theresa May in Downing Street in 2019.
His landslide election victory at that year’s snap winter general election allowed him to deliver on taking the UK out of the European Union.
Mr Johnson left office in September after repeated scandals including the partygate row over lockdown breaches in Downing Street, the Owen Paterson lobbying affair and his handling of complaints against former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher.
Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said the British public was “sick to the back teeth of this never ending Tory soap opera played out at their expense” as she urged voters to “turn the page with a fresh start” under a Labour government.
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said it was “good riddance” to Mr Johnson.
In his resignation statement, Mr Johnson was also critical of Mr Sunak’s administration, questioning the decision to increase taxes and abandoning the prospect of a free trade deal with the US.
But he said the Tory Party has the “time to recover its mojo and its ambition and to win the next election”.
Mr Johnson became prime minister four years after returning as an MP, having stood down as MP for Henley in 2008 after being elected mayor of London, replacing Theresa May in Downing Street in 2019.
His landslide election victory at that year’s snap winter general election allowed him to deliver on taking the UK out of the European Union.
Mr Johnson left office in September after repeated scandals including the partygate row over lockdown breaches in Downing Street, the Owen Paterson lobbying affair and his handling of complaints against former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher.
Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said the British public was “sick to the back teeth of this never ending Tory soap opera played out at their expense” as she urged voters to “turn the page with a fresh start” under a Labour government.
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said it was “good riddance” to Mr Johnson.
Johnson accused the Commons inquiry of attempting to "drive me out"
By PTI Updated: June 10, 2023
Boris Johnson | Reuters
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has shocked the nation by abruptly quitting as a member of the parliament after being told by a parliamentary committee that he will be sanctioned for misleading Parliament over lockdown-breaking parties at Downing street during his premiership.
Johnson, 58, had been under investigation by a parliamentary inquiry looking into whether he misled the House of Commons about lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Johnson's decision came on Friday as he received a confidential letter from the MP-led privileges Committee over the crucial matter.
Johnson accused the Commons inquiry of attempting to "drive me out". In a statement he said: "They have still not produced a shred of evidence that I knowingly or recklessly misled the Commons."
Earlier on Friday, he received a copy of the yet-to-be-published report, which he claimed was "riddled with inaccuracies and reeks of prejudice".
In evidence given to the Privileges Committee in March, Johnson admitted misleading Parliament, but denied doing it on purpose. He said social distancing had not been "perfect" at gatherings in Downing Street during COVID lockdowns.
But he said they were "essential" work events, which he claimed were allowed. He insisted the guidelines - as he understood them - were followed at all times.
Announcing he would step down, Johnson issued a lengthy statement in which he said: "I did not lie, and I believe that in their hearts the committee know it."
"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 said he corrected the record as soon as possible, and claimed committee members "know that".
He said the "current prime minister and then occupant of the same building, Rishi Sunak" also believed they were "working lawfully together". Johnson condemned the committee as a "kangaroo court", and claimed that its "purpose from the beginning has been to find me guilty, regardless of the facts".
Johnson's departure from political life comes less than four years after he won an 80-seat political majority and nine months after he stood down as prime minister after a police fine for breaking his own COVID rules.
In his statement, Johnson hit out at political enemies for targeting him after he was shown the privileges committee findings against him earlier this week.
"It is very sad to be leaving parliament at least for now but above all I am bewildered and appalled that I can be forced out, anti-democratically, by a committee chaired and managed, by [the Labour MP] Harriet Harman, with such egregious bias," he said.
The resignation will trigger an immediate by-election in Johnson's Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency. It was the second in a day for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak after Nadine Dorries resigned as MP for Mid Bedfordshire after her inclusion on Johnson's peerage list was blocked.
Labour sources view both the seats as winnable.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has shocked the nation by abruptly quitting as a member of the parliament after being told by a parliamentary committee that he will be sanctioned for misleading Parliament over lockdown-breaking parties at Downing street during his premiership.
Johnson, 58, had been under investigation by a parliamentary inquiry looking into whether he misled the House of Commons about lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Johnson's decision came on Friday as he received a confidential letter from the MP-led privileges Committee over the crucial matter.
Johnson accused the Commons inquiry of attempting to "drive me out". In a statement he said: "They have still not produced a shred of evidence that I knowingly or recklessly misled the Commons."
Earlier on Friday, he received a copy of the yet-to-be-published report, which he claimed was "riddled with inaccuracies and reeks of prejudice".
In evidence given to the Privileges Committee in March, Johnson admitted misleading Parliament, but denied doing it on purpose. He said social distancing had not been "perfect" at gatherings in Downing Street during COVID lockdowns.
But he said they were "essential" work events, which he claimed were allowed. He insisted the guidelines - as he understood them - were followed at all times.
Announcing he would step down, Johnson issued a lengthy statement in which he said: "I did not lie, and I believe that in their hearts the committee know it."
"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 said he corrected the record as soon as possible, and claimed committee members "know that".
He said the "current prime minister and then occupant of the same building, Rishi Sunak" also believed they were "working lawfully together". Johnson condemned the committee as a "kangaroo court", and claimed that its "purpose from the beginning has been to find me guilty, regardless of the facts".
Johnson's departure from political life comes less than four years after he won an 80-seat political majority and nine months after he stood down as prime minister after a police fine for breaking his own COVID rules.
In his statement, Johnson hit out at political enemies for targeting him after he was shown the privileges committee findings against him earlier this week.
"It is very sad to be leaving parliament at least for now but above all I am bewildered and appalled that I can be forced out, anti-democratically, by a committee chaired and managed, by [the Labour MP] Harriet Harman, with such egregious bias," he said.
The resignation will trigger an immediate by-election in Johnson's Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency. It was the second in a day for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak after Nadine Dorries resigned as MP for Mid Bedfordshire after her inclusion on Johnson's peerage list was blocked.
Labour sources view both the seats as winnable.
Boris Johnson's resignation statement in full as he quits as MP
The former PM suggested he was the victim of a 'witch hunt' as he criticised the Privileges Committee investigating him.
The former PM suggested he was the victim of a 'witch hunt' as he criticised the Privileges Committee investigating him.
Boris Johnson will step down as MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip. / PA
Political Correspondent Harry Horton reports on the latest as Boris Johnson resigns from Parliament
Boris Johnson has announced his resignation as an MP after receiving the findings of a report by the Privileges Committee investigating him over the Partygate scandal.
In a lengthy resignation speech, the former prime minister said the panel was “determined” to use proceedings to drive him out of Parliament.
It comes hours after the approval of Mr Johnson’s resignation honours list and the resignation of former Cabinet member Nadine Dorries.
Here is Mr Johnson’s resignation speech in full:
“I have received a letter from the Privileges Committee making it clear – much to my amazement – that they are determined to use the proceedings against me to drive me out of Parliament.
“They 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.
“They know that I corrected the record as soon as possible; and they know that I and every other senior official and minister – including the current Prime Minister and then occupant of the same building, Rishi Sunak – believed that we were working lawfully together.
“I have been an MP since 2001. I take my responsibilities seriously.
I did not lie, and I believe that in their hearts the Committee know it.
“But they have wilfully chosen to ignore the truth because from the outset their purpose has not been to discover the truth, or genuinely to understand what was in my mind when I spoke in the Commons.
“Their purpose from the beginning has been to find me guilty, regardless of the facts. This is the very definition of a kangaroo court.
“Most members of the Committee – especially the chair – had already expressed deeply prejudicial remarks about my guilt before they had even seen the evidence. They should have recused themselves.
“In retrospect it was naive and trusting of me to think that these proceedings could be remotely useful or fair.
“But I was determined to believe in the system, and in justice, and to vindicate what I knew to be the truth.
“It was the same faith in the impartiality of our systems that led me to commission Sue Gray. It is clear that my faith has been misplaced.
“Of course, it suits the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats, and the SNP to do whatever they can to remove me from parliament.
The Conservative Party has the time to recover its mojo and its ambition and to win the next election.
“I had looked forward to providing enthusiastic support as a backbench MP. Harriet Harman’s committee has set out to make that objective completely untenable.
“The Committee’s report is riddled with inaccuracies and reeks of prejudice but under their absurd and unjust process I have no formal ability to challenge anything they say.
“The Privileges Committee is there to protect the privileges of parliament. That is a very important job.
“They should not be using their powers – which have only been very recently designed – to mount what is plainly a political hit-job on someone they oppose.
“It is in no-one’s interest, however, that the process the Committee has launched should continue for a single day further.
“So I have today 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.
“I also remain hugely proud of all that we achieved in my time in office as prime minister: getting Brexit done, winning the biggest majority for 40 years and delivering the fastest vaccine rollout of any major European country, as well as leading global support for Ukraine.
“It is very sad to be leaving Parliament – at least for now – but above all I am bewildered and appalled that I can be forced out, anti-democratically, by a committee chaired and managed, by Harriet Harman, with such egregious bias.”
Political Correspondent Harry Horton reports on the latest as Boris Johnson resigns from Parliament
Boris Johnson has announced his resignation as an MP after receiving the findings of a report by the Privileges Committee investigating him over the Partygate scandal.
In a lengthy resignation speech, the former prime minister said the panel was “determined” to use proceedings to drive him out of Parliament.
It comes hours after the approval of Mr Johnson’s resignation honours list and the resignation of former Cabinet member Nadine Dorries.
Here is Mr Johnson’s resignation speech in full:
“I have received a letter from the Privileges Committee making it clear – much to my amazement – that they are determined to use the proceedings against me to drive me out of Parliament.
“They 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.
“They know that I corrected the record as soon as possible; and they know that I and every other senior official and minister – including the current Prime Minister and then occupant of the same building, Rishi Sunak – believed that we were working lawfully together.
“I have been an MP since 2001. I take my responsibilities seriously.
I did not lie, and I believe that in their hearts the Committee know it.
“But they have wilfully chosen to ignore the truth because from the outset their purpose has not been to discover the truth, or genuinely to understand what was in my mind when I spoke in the Commons.
“Their purpose from the beginning has been to find me guilty, regardless of the facts. This is the very definition of a kangaroo court.
“Most members of the Committee – especially the chair – had already expressed deeply prejudicial remarks about my guilt before they had even seen the evidence. They should have recused themselves.
“In retrospect it was naive and trusting of me to think that these proceedings could be remotely useful or fair.
“But I was determined to believe in the system, and in justice, and to vindicate what I knew to be the truth.
“It was the same faith in the impartiality of our systems that led me to commission Sue Gray. It is clear that my faith has been misplaced.
“Of course, it suits the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats, and the SNP to do whatever they can to remove me from parliament.
Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak. / Credit: PA
“Sadly, as we saw in July last year, there are currently some Tory MPs who share that view.
“I am not alone in thinking that there is a witch hunt under way, to take revenge for Brexit and ultimately to reverse the 2016 referendum result.
“My removal is the necessary first step, and I believe there has been a concerted attempt to bring it about. I am afraid I no longer believe that it is any coincidence that Sue Gray – who investigated gatherings in Number 10 – is now the chief of staff designate of the Labour leader.
“Nor do I believe that it is any coincidence that her supposedly impartial chief counsel, Daniel Stilitz KC, turned out to be a strong Labour supporter who repeatedly tweeted personal attacks on me and the government.
“When I left office last year the government was only a handful of points behind in the polls. That gap has now massively widened.
“Just a few years after winning the biggest majority in almost half a century, that majority is now clearly at risk.
“Our party needs urgently to recapture its sense of momentum and its belief in what this country can do.
“We need to show how we are making the most of Brexit and we need in the next months to be setting out a pro-growth and pro-investment agenda.
“We need to cut business and personal taxes – and not just as pre-election gimmicks – rather than endlessly putting them up. We must not be afraid to be a properly Conservative government.
“Why have we so passively abandoned the prospect of a Free Trade Deal with the US? Why have we junked measures to help people into housing or to scrap EU directives or to promote animal welfare?
“We need to deliver on the 2019 manifesto, which was endorsed by 14 million people. We should remember that more than 17 million voted for Brexit.
“I am now being forced out of Parliament by a tiny handful of people, with no evidence to back up their assertions, and without the approval even of Conservative party members let alone the wider electorate.
“Sadly, as we saw in July last year, there are currently some Tory MPs who share that view.
“I am not alone in thinking that there is a witch hunt under way, to take revenge for Brexit and ultimately to reverse the 2016 referendum result.
“My removal is the necessary first step, and I believe there has been a concerted attempt to bring it about. I am afraid I no longer believe that it is any coincidence that Sue Gray – who investigated gatherings in Number 10 – is now the chief of staff designate of the Labour leader.
“Nor do I believe that it is any coincidence that her supposedly impartial chief counsel, Daniel Stilitz KC, turned out to be a strong Labour supporter who repeatedly tweeted personal attacks on me and the government.
“When I left office last year the government was only a handful of points behind in the polls. That gap has now massively widened.
“Just a few years after winning the biggest majority in almost half a century, that majority is now clearly at risk.
“Our party needs urgently to recapture its sense of momentum and its belief in what this country can do.
“We need to show how we are making the most of Brexit and we need in the next months to be setting out a pro-growth and pro-investment agenda.
“We need to cut business and personal taxes – and not just as pre-election gimmicks – rather than endlessly putting them up. We must not be afraid to be a properly Conservative government.
“Why have we so passively abandoned the prospect of a Free Trade Deal with the US? Why have we junked measures to help people into housing or to scrap EU directives or to promote animal welfare?
“We need to deliver on the 2019 manifesto, which was endorsed by 14 million people. We should remember that more than 17 million voted for Brexit.
“I am now being forced out of Parliament by a tiny handful of people, with no evidence to back up their assertions, and without the approval even of Conservative party members let alone the wider electorate.
Johnson accused the Privileges Committee of a politically motivated ‘witch hunt’ to drive him out. / Credit: Andrew Boyers/PA
“I believe that a dangerous and unsettling precedent is being set.
“I believe that a dangerous and unsettling precedent is being set.
The Conservative Party has the time to recover its mojo and its ambition and to win the next election.
“I had looked forward to providing enthusiastic support as a backbench MP. Harriet Harman’s committee has set out to make that objective completely untenable.
“The Committee’s report is riddled with inaccuracies and reeks of prejudice but under their absurd and unjust process I have no formal ability to challenge anything they say.
“The Privileges Committee is there to protect the privileges of parliament. That is a very important job.
“They should not be using their powers – which have only been very recently designed – to mount what is plainly a political hit-job on someone they oppose.
“It is in no-one’s interest, however, that the process the Committee has launched should continue for a single day further.
“So I have today 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.
“I also remain hugely proud of all that we achieved in my time in office as prime minister: getting Brexit done, winning the biggest majority for 40 years and delivering the fastest vaccine rollout of any major European country, as well as leading global support for Ukraine.
“It is very sad to be leaving Parliament – at least for now – but above all I am bewildered and appalled that I can be forced out, anti-democratically, by a committee chaired and managed, by Harriet Harman, with such egregious bias.”
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