Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, 58, caused chaos by resigning as MP for the Uxbridge and South Ryslip constituency in west London and attacking colleagues whom he accused of ousting him in a "witch hunt".
Less than a year after being ousted as prime minister by his own Conservative Party, Johnson unexpectedly resigned as an MP on Friday in a letter to the Privileges Committee of the House of Commons.
While his opponents welcome it, the Conservative government is reeling from another Johnson earthquake, while a group of his loyal supporters insist the former divisive British leader could still make a comeback.
Johnson resigned after being told he would be punished for misleading Parliament about his cabinet's so-called "Friday Wine Time" parties, which were held in contravention of the rules during the coronavirus pandemic and were regularly fined by police. , among them Johnson.
He admitted that he had misled Parliament by assuring lawmakers that the rules had not been broken, but said that he had not done so on purpose but had genuinely believed that the gatherings for entertainment were legitimate.
"Their purpose from the beginning was to find me guilty, regardless of the facts," Johnson said of his critics.
He claims that he behaved like any other prime minister or minister and that he only said what he learned from his advisers, but he also added that "the current prime minister, Rishi Sunak, who lived in the same building at the time, also did that (entertainment).
In doing so, Johnson not only reminds that Rishi Sunak was the Minister of Finance in his government, whose residence is in Downing Street 11, but also indicates that there are no proceedings against the current Prime Minister before the Privileges Committee.
With this, the former prime minister wants to underline that the committee attacked only him.
By leaving Parliament, he avoids suspension that could see his constituents oust him from his seat in Parliament, leaving him with the option of running again. His resignation statement suggests he is considering that option.
In this part of his written resignation, the former prime minister lashes out at the actions of his own party, accusing a part of the deputies of being included in a "witch hunt", which is "revenge for Brexit and an attempt to reverse the result of the referendum on it in 2016".
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