Former UK prime minister Boris Johnson formally resigns as Conservative MP

Former British prime minister Boris Johnson on Monday (June 12) formally submitted his resignation as a Conservative Member of Parliament. UK-based media outlets mentioned that a source close to the former prime minister has said Johnson has written to Jeremy Hunt to formally resign. However, reports have mentioned that his resignation does not take effect until an announcement from the Treasury is made.

During his time in office, Johnson faced massive backlash from the opposition party and common people when reports emerged that parties were held at 10, Downing Street when such gatherings and festivities were banned in the country owing to the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown in 2020.

Currently, Johnson is being probed to understand whether or not he misled the House of Commons about lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street, an accusation he denies.

But in the latest, he has accused lawmakers investigating him of acting like a "kangaroo court" and being determined to end his political career. This came after he received a confidential letter from the committee.

Johnson wrote in his resignation statement that it had not found "a shred of evidence" against him. He also took aim at current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who landed in hot water and must now fight three by-elections in constituencies recently vacated.

On Friday, Johnson and his ally Nadine Dorries, and on Saturday by Nigel Adams, a former minister in the Johnson government, resigned from their post.

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An opportunity for the Labour Party?

The opposition Labour Party, which has a roughly 16-point lead over Sunak's Conservatives in opinion polls, said it relished the prospect of fighting the by-elections in Conservative-held constituencies.

Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner told the BBC on Saturday, "We will be fighting to win in those constituencies. They've created a by-election because both of them (Johnson and Dorries) have thrown their toys out of the pram."

(With inputs from agencies)

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