Boris Johnson's resignation letter in full after he quits as MP trends now
Boris Johnson has quit as an MP tonight over the findings of an investigation into Partygate lawbreaking in Downing Street during the pandemic.
The former Prime Minister, 58, has resigned his seat in Westminster with immediate effect, triggering a by-election.
In his resignation letter he took aim at the Privileges Committee, led by Labour's Harriet Harman, which investigated whether he misled MPs over Partygate.
In a furious 1034-word statement, he slammed the 'kangaroo court' and said he was 'very sorry' to be leaving his Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency, which he has represented since 2015.
He added that he believes the outcome means that a 'dangerous and unsettling precedent is being set'.
He also reflected on his time as Mayor of London and Prime Minister, including his pride in 'getting Brexit done'.
Boris Johnson has quit as an MP tonight over the findings of an investigation into Partygate (pictured in September)
Below is Boris Johnson's resignation letter in full.
I have received a letter from the Privileges Committee making it clear - much to my amazement - that they are determined to use the proceedings against me to drive me out of parliament.
They have still not produced a shred of evidence that I knowingly or recklessly misled the Commons.
They know perfectly well that when I spoke in the Commons I was saying what I believed sincerely to be true and what I had been briefed to say, like any other minister. They know that I corrected the record as soon as possible; and they know that I and every other senior official and minister - including the current Prime Minister and then occupant of the same building, Rishi Sunak - believed that we were working lawfully together.
I have been an MP since 2001. I take my responsibilities seriously. I did not lie, and I believe that in their hearts the Committee know it. But they have wilfully chosen to ignore the truth because from the outset their purpose has not been to discover the truth, or genuinely to understand what was in my mind when I spoke in the Commons.
Their purpose from the beginning has been to find me guilty, regardless of the facts. This is the very definition of a kangaroo court.
Most members of the Committee - especially the chair - had already expressed deeply prejudicial remarks about my guilt before they had even seen the evidence. They should have recused themselves.
In retrospect it was naive and trusting of me to think that these proceedings could be remotely useful or fair. But I was determined to believe in the system, and in justice, and to vindicate what I knew to be the truth.
The former Prime Minister, 58, has resigned his seat in Westminster with immediate effect, triggering a by-election (pictured in 2019)
It was the same faith in the impartiality of our systems that led me to commission Sue Gray. It is clear that my faith has been misplaced. Of course, it suits the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats, and the SNP to do whatever they can to remove me from parliament.
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
