Boris Johnson, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, has announced his resignation as a member of parliament, News About Nigeria reports.
The 58-year-old populist politician alleged that his political opponents conspired against him, leading to his departure.
Johnson has been facing scrutiny from a bipartisan committee investigating whether he lied to parliament about breaking Covid lockdown rules during his time in office.
Despite vehemently denying the allegations earlier this year, he claims that the committee’s intent is to use the proceedings to force him out of parliament.
The Privileges Committee, comprised mostly of members from Johnson’s own Conservative party, holds the power to impose penalties, including suspension, for misleading parliament.
Typically, a suspension of more than 10 working days triggers a by-election in the respective MP’s constituency.
To preempt any potential findings or the need to fight for his seat in the Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency in northwest London, where he holds a narrow majority of just over 7,000 votes, Johnson chose to resign.
He condemned the committee, chaired by veteran opposition Labour MP Harriet Harman, as a biased “kangaroo court.”
While this turn of events marks a departure from parliament, at least for now, Johnson expressed both sadness and bewilderment at being forced out undemocratically.
He stated that the bias displayed throughout the proceedings was appalling. It is worth noting that Johnson previously resigned as prime minister and left office in September 2022.
Before entering politics, Boris Johnson faced dismissal from his first job at The Times newspaper due to fabricating a quote.
He gained prominence as the Brussels correspondent for the Daily Telegraph, where he propagated false narratives about the European Union. Johnson initially served as an MP from 2001 to 2008, then took a break to serve two consecutive four-year terms as the Mayor of London.
He returned to the role of MP in 2015 and later became the foreign secretary under Theresa May.
