Boris Johnson has resigned as a member of Parliament.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has resigned as a member of Parliament, which takes effect immediately. Johnson has been fighting for his political future with a parliamentary inquiry into whether he misled the House of Commons when he said all the rules introduced due to Covid-19 had been followed.
The British Parliament’s Privileges Committee was investigating whether Johnson deliberately misled MPs with statements he made to the House of Commons in December 2021 about parties held in Downing Street during the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine, some of which he himself attended. In his 52-page evidence document handed to the committee in March, Johnson admitted he had misled parliament but denied he had done it deliberately.
He admitted that social distancing was not “perfect” at Downing Street gatherings during the lockdown. But he said these were “essential” work events, which he argued were allowed. He insisted that the guidelines, as he understood them, had been followed at all times.
“It is very sad that I am leaving Parliament – at least for now. I was driven out by a handful of people, without any evidence to back up their claims, and without the approval of even members of the Conservative Party, let alone the wider electorate,” Johnson said in a statement.
(WORLD)