Boris Johnson has resigned as a Member of Parliament with immediate effect. This is soon after his getting an advance copy of the Commons Privileges standards committee report on his false statements about Partygate and when his “Resignation Honours” list was published after being passed by Rishi Sunak
The report is widely thought to include a recommendation that he be suspended from the House for ten sitting days or more. This would trigger the Recall process, the web page for which was updated by the Parliamentary library yesterday. The recall petition was expected to get enough signatures for him to be expelled and, if he stood for re-election was expected to lose. His bitter statement sounds positively Trumpian
“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 underway, 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.”
His is the second Tory resignation from a sitting MP today, the other being his close ally and former Secretary of State for gutting Culture, Nadine Dorries. She was criticised earlier this year over another breach of ministerial conduct regulations..
Watchdog chair Lord Pickles was left fuming after she failed to seek advice from his body before taking the job.
All former ministers are required to ask the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) before taking a new job within two years of leaving Government. By failing to do so, Ms Dorries apparently broke the ministerial code.
Previously, Ms Dorries continued to maintain that Mr Johnson is "one of the world's best leaders" - and didn't rule out returning to Government if her old boss comes back.
Dorries had widely been expected to be offered a life peerage and therefore seat in the House of Lords in Johnson’s resignation list. (The delay is due to his nominations having to be vetted.) Rishi Sunak was thought to be trying to get her appointment made but delayed until after the next General Election, likely next year. This was to protect his wafer thin majority in the Commons. In the event Dorries resigned the same day as Johnson, which may not be unconnected.
The dual resignation would enable Johnson to stand for Dorries’ Mid Bedfordshire seat which is considered safer than his own at the next General Election. This would have to get the approval of the Conservative Party centrally as well as in the constituency. This seems highly likely as Boris clearly has ambitions according to the Guardian’s political editor.
And for old time’s sake