Ex-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s resignation letter begins, “At least for now”

A by-election will be held in the former British prime minister’s marginal seat as a result of his immediate resignation as a member of parliament.

Here is what he said. Reuters has not independently confirmed Johnson’s statements.

To my surprise, the Privileges Committee has written to me to make it apparent that they want to use the procedures against me to remove me from office.

They still haven’t shown a scrap of proof that I intentionally or carelessly deceived the Commons.

They are well aware that, like any other minister, when I spoke in the Commons, I was only stating what I sincerly thought to be true. They are aware that I quickly rectified the record, and that every senior official and politician, including Rishi Sunak, the current prime minister and a former inhabitant of the same building, felt that our collaboration was legal.

Since 2001, I have served as an MP. I consider my obligations to be serious. I did not lie, and I think the Committee is aware of this. However, they have purposefully chosen to overlook the facts because their goal has never been to learn the truth or really comprehend what I was thinking when I spoke in the Commons.

Regardless of the evidence, their goal has always been to convict me. This is a kangaroo court in every sense of the word.

Before they ever saw the evidence, the majority of the Committee members, including the chair, made very biassed comments regarding my culpability. They ought to have withdrawn.

In hindsight, I should have known better than to have believed that these processes could even be somewhat helpful or fair. But I was adamant that I would stand up for what I believed to be the truth and that the system, justice, and the law would be upheld.

The same confidence in the objectivity of our processes that inspired me to hire Sue Grey. My trust has obviously been misplaced. Of course, it’s in their best interests to oust me from office, and the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats, and the SNP will do whatever it takes.

Sadly, as we seen in July of last year, some Tory MPs still hold that opinion. I am not the only one who believes that a witch hunt is being conducted in order to exact vengeance for Brexit and eventually overturn the outcome of the 2016 vote.

The required first step is my removal, and I think there has been a deliberate effort to make that happen. I regret to say that I no longer think it is a coincidence that Sue Grey, who looked into meetings at Number 10, is now the Labour leader’s designate chief of staff.

I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that Daniel Stilitz KC, her ostensibly neutral chief counsel, turned out to be a fervent Labour supporter who often tweeted insults to the government and myself.

The administration was just a few points behind in the polls when I left office last year. That difference has now significantly grown.

That majority is now obviously in jeopardy, only a few years after being elected with the largest majority in over 50 years.

Our party desperately needs to regain its feeling of momentum and its faith in what this nation is capable of.

In the next months, we must lay out a pro-growth and pro-investment strategy in order to demonstrate how we are maximising the benefits of Brexit. Instead of continuously raising taxes, we should reduce company and personal taxes – and not simply as a pre-election gimmick.

We must not be scared to run a government that is really Conservative.

Why have we so apathetically given up on the possibility of a free trade agreement with the US? Why did we abandon initiatives to assist individuals in finding homes, revoke EU directives, or advance animal welfare?

The 2019 manifesto, which received the support of 14 million people, has to be fulfilled. We must keep in mind that more than 17 million people supported Brexit.

With no proof to support their claims and without the support of the Conservative Party members themselves, much alone the majority of the electorate, a small group of individuals are now trying to push me out of parliament.

I think a risky and unpleasant precedent is being established.

The Conservative Party still has time to regain its enthusiasm and drive in order to triumph in the next election. As a backbencher MP, I had anticipated offering passionate support. The committee led by Harriet Harman set out to make that goal wholly unrealistic.

The Committee’s report is filled with errors and stinks of bias, but according to their ridiculous and unfair methodology, I am unable to formally contest anything they state.

The purpose of the Privileges Committee is to safeguard parliamentary privileges. That task is of utmost importance. They shouldn’t be utilising their freshly created powers to carry out what is obviously a political hit operation on someone they disagree with.

However, it is not in anyone’s best interest for the procedure the Committee has started to go on for even one more day.

As a result, I wrote to my association in Uxbridge and South Ruislip today to announce my resignation and call for a by-election right away.

I regret much having to leave my fantastic constituency. Serving them as their Mayor and their MP has been a great privilege.

But after what amounts to a 15-year tenure, I am happy to have contributed to the creation of the Elizabeth Line, a massive new railway, and a great new, cutting-edge hospital for Hillingdon, where enabling work has already started.

In addition, I continue to be very proud of all we accomplished during my term as prime minister, including completing Brexit, achieving the largest majority in 40 years, rolling out vaccines more quickly than any other major European nation, and mobilising support for Ukraine on a worldwide scale.

Being driven out of parliament in an anti-democratic manner by a committee headed and controlled with such flagrant prejudice by Harriet Harman is the saddest part of my decision to leave the legislature, at least for the time being.