Photo: The Times of Israel-
Metropolis Desk-
Boris Johnson, a former British prime minister, abruptly resigned from the House of Commons on Friday in a vehement protest against MPs looking into his behavior. This reopened significant splits within the ruling Conservative Party ahead of a general election anticipated for next year.
An inquiry by the House of Commons was examining whether Johnson had misled the body about lockdown-breaking gatherings in Downing Street during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After receiving a private letter from the committee, Johnson claimed that the MPs looking into him were acting like a “kangaroo court” and were out to put an end to his political career.
Johnson claimed in a statement that the committee was waging a “political hit job,” adding that “I am being forced out by a tiny handful of people, with no evidence to support their assertions.”
The primary body in charge of punishing politicians, the privileges committee of parliament, has the authority to that Johnson be expelled from the chamber. His constituents may have asked that he run for reelection if the suspension lasted longer than 10 days to continue serving as their representative.
Johnson said he was leaving parliament “for now” but left open the possibility of going back into politics.
But the decision to resign may be the end of his 22-year political career, where he rose from parliament to mayor of London and then built a profile that tipped the balance of the 2016 European Union referendum in favor of Brexit.
Johnson, whose tenure was shortened in part by resentment in his party and throughout Britain after lockdown parties at his Downing Street office and mansion that violated COVID rules, claimed the committee had not uncovered “a shred of evidence” against him.
He claimed, “I am not alone in believing that a witch hunt is underway to exact retribution for Brexit and ultimately to overturn the outcome of the 2016 referendum. “My removal is the necessary first step, and I think there’s been a concerted effort to make it happen,” the speaker said.
A senior Labor Party politician chairs the investigation, although the bulk of the committee’s members are Conservatives.
The committee announced that it will convene on Monday to wrap up its investigation and will soon release its report. According to a committee spokeswoman, Johnson’s resignation statement “impugned the integrity” of the legislature.
His West London constituency will hold a by-election as a result of his resignation. It is the second in a day for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak following the resignation of Johnson ally Nadine Dorries.
The Labor Party’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, declared: “The British public are sick to their back teeth of this never-ending Tory soap opera played out at their expense.”
Johnson took office almost four years ago on a platform of delivering Brexit and rescuing it from the acrimonious squabbling that ensued after the 2016 referendum. He dismissed the worries of several fellow Conservatives who believed he wasn’t qualified because of his narcissism, inability to handle details, and reputation for lying.
Some Conservatives warmly supported the former journalist, while others supported him despite their qualms because he was able to win over those who typically rejected their party.
That was borne out in the December 2019 election. But his administration’s combative and often chaotic approach to governing and the scandals exhausted the goodwill of many of his lawmakers. Opinion polls show he is no longer popular with the public at large.
Johnson used his resignation statement on Friday to deliver an attack on the premiership of Sunak, whom he partly blames for ending his government. The men, who worked closely together during the pandemic, have had a feud since Sunak resigned as finance minister last summer in protest against Johnson’s leadership.
“When I left office last year the government was only a handful of points behind in the polls. That gap has now massively widened, our party needs urgently to recapture its sense of momentum and its belief in what this country can do” he said.
Source -The Indian Express
