Boris Johnson’s bombshell exit from Parliament leaves U.K. politics reeling
Former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson left chaos in his wake Saturday after quitting Parliament with a blast at fellow lawmakers he accused of ousting him in a “witch hunt”.
As opponents jeered, the Conservative government absorbed the shock of yet another Johnson earthquake, while a band of loyal supporters insisted Britain’s divisive ex-leader could still make a comeback, according to AP.
Less than a year after he was forced out as prime minister by his own Conservative Party, Johnson unexpectedly stepped down as a lawmaker late Friday — “at least for now,” he said in a self-justifying resignation statement. Johnson quit after being told he will be sanctioned for misleading Parliament over “partygate,” a series of rule-breaking gatherings in the prime minister’s office during the coronavirus pandemic. Johnson was among scores of people fined by police over late-night soirees, boozy parties, and “wine time Fridays” that broke restrictions the government had imposed on the country.
Johnson has acknowledged misleading Parliament when he assured lawmakers that no rules had been broken, but he said he didn’t do so deliberately, genuinely believing the gatherings were legitimate work events. A standards committee investigating him appears to see things differently.
Johnson quit after receiving the report of the Privileges Committee, which has not yet been made public. Johnson faces suspension from the House of Commons if the committee found he had lied deliberately.
Johnson, 58, called the committee “a kangaroo court” that was determined to “drive me out of Parliament”.
“Their purpose from the beginning has been to find me guilty, regardless of the facts,” Johnson said.
By quitting Parliament, Johnson avoids a suspension that could have seen him ousted from his Commons seat by his constituents, leaving him free to run for Parliament again in the future. His resignation statement suggested he was mulling that option.