Tories to face third by-election as Johnson ally resigns

1. Boris Johnson stepped down as an MP on Friday evening claiming he was “forced out of Parliament” over Partygate
2. Last night Johnson saw in advance a report by a committee over whether he misled Parliament, and in an explosive statement called the committee a “kangaroo court”
3. Nadine Dorries also resigned on Friday. It had been expected that she would received an honour from Johnson, but didn’t
4. A third MP – Nigel Adams – resigned on Saturday meaning the Conservatives are now facing three by-elections
5. Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner called Johnson a “coward” who “doesn’t accept responsibility for his own actions”
6. But his former advisor, Will Walden, says he doesn’t think this is the end for Johnson – “he is preparing himself for what might be next”

Privileges committee to publish report 'promptly'

A report on whether Boris Johnson misled MPs over his Partygate assurances will be published "promptly", the Committee of Privileges says.

It comes after the ex-prime minister saw an advance copy of their report sparking his resignation as an MP and criticism of the MP-led Committee of Privileges.

He accused the majority Conservative Committee of being a "kangaroo court" and says he has been the victim of a "witch hunt".

Although he did previously admit misleading Parliament when he gave evidence to the Committee in a combative hearing in March - but denied doing it on purpose.

In a statement, the Committee said the ex-prime minister had called into question the integrity of the House of Commons.

A spokesperson said: "The Committee will meet on Monday to conclude the inquiry and to publish its report promptly."

Welcome back

Welcome back to our live coverage as we bring you all the reaction to Boris Johnson’s dramatic decision to quit as an MP.

The former PM last night announced he was stepping down after reading an advanced report by the Commons Privileges Committee investigating if he misled the Commons over Downing Street lockdown parties.

In an explosive statement, he accused the committee of being a "kangaroo court" and accused them of "being determined to use the proceedings against me to drive me out of Parliament".

He also criticised the direction of the government under Rishi Sunak.

The move also means a by-election has been triggered in the marginal west London seat of Uxbridge and Ruislip.

Stick with us as we bring you all the latest.

We're pausing our live coverage

It's been a busy one tonight covering the political bombshell dropped by Boris Johnson earlier.

We're taking a break now, but hope to be back in the morning with the latest reaction. To read further into the story, have a look at these:

• Catch up on the latest with our write-up
• Read Johnson's resignation statement for yourself
• Why did he resign - we answer that question here

The ghost of Boris Johnson haunts Rishi Sunak

Chris Mason

Political editor

Chaos, uncorked. Again. In his seven months as prime minister, the most notable characteristic Rishi Sunak has brought to government is - relatively speaking at least - stability.

2022, or much of it, was defined, politically, by a soap opera of Conservative squabbling.

It didn't disappear with the arrival of Sunak in No 10, but it quietened down substantially. Now, it is back again. Downing Street, an observer of events, only found out about it when the rest of us did.

A former prime minister with a lifelong knack for throwing stones and grabbing attention doing just that. A current prime minister languishing in the opinion polls now confronting two appointments with a disgruntled electorate, courtesy of two people meant to be on his own side.

And so, yet again, the party of government winding and wounding itself in public. The ghost of Boris Johnson haunting Rishi Sunak.

'Very worrying' - Tories react to Johnson quitting

We can bring you more reaction now to Boris Johnson's resignation.

Tory grandee Lord Heseltine says Johnson's legacy has "shattered the great vision" of the Conservative Party.

Heseltine, a staunch critic of the former PM, says Johnson gives the impression that the Privileges Committee is mostly comprised of Labour MPs, but "the truth is it has majority of Conservative MPs". (The committee has seven members - four Conservatives, two Labour and one SNP.)

"This is characteristic of Boris Johnson, he has no sense of integrity," Heseltine told BBC Radio 4's World Tonight programme.

But defending Johnson, former Tory minister John Redwood said it's "very worrying that such an important figure in our political life feels hounded out like this”.

Redwood added that Johnson has been "uniquely pressurised ever since he first became leader".

Watch: Boris Johnson's political career in 72 seconds

Boris Johnson resignation: Former PM's political career... in 72 seconds

What is the committee that investigated Johnson?

Helen Catt

Political correspondent

Unlike the similar Standards Committee, the Privileges Committee is made up entirely of MPs and doesn’t have any “lay members” on it.

It is up to them to reach a determination and recommend sanctions to the House of Commons.

That doesn’t mean they have totally free rein to do what they like though.

The committee has a legal adviser, former Lord Justice of Appeal Sir Ernest Ryder, who has guided them throughout the process.

Let's take a breather

Dulcie Lee

Live reporter

It's been a whirlwind few hours - if you're just coming to this story, you can catch a summary of this evening's events in our main story.

And if you fancy a lengthy bedtime read, you can take a look at Johnson's 1,000-word resignation in full here.

I'm off to eat my (now cold) dinner and am handing over to the night team here in London - it's Fran Gillett taking up the baton.

Watch: The public no longer believe Johnson - Curtice

Political scientist Prof Sir John Curtice tells us that the public have already made up their own minds about whether Boris Johnson was telling the truth over Partygate.

Sir John Curtice: Boris Johnson's political career is over

Johnson backer condemns 'outrageous stitch-up'

Let's bring you some reaction from BBC Two's Newsnight programme, which has been gauging reaction to Boris Johnson's resignation.

Tory MP Bob Seely says Johnson will always have a place in history for delivering Brexit, but "failed to change" when his opponents were out to get him and gave them the tools to finish him off.

Former MEP David Campbell Bannerman, who chairs the Conservative Democratic Organisation, says the Privileges Committee's investigation was an "outrageous... stitch-up right from the start", "a coup" and a "very bad day for democracy".

But former Tory cabinet minister David Gauke says the Conservative Party needs to "make it clear this is the end for Boris Johnson" because "he's done enormous damage" to the party's reputation for honesty and competence.

Who haven't we heard from yet?

PA Media

Boris Johnson's resignation as an MP has unleashed a torrent of responses from all parts of the political spectrum.

But so far we've heard nothing about it from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who he takes an apparent swipe at in his resignation letter, or Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

And there hasn't been anything directly from Harriet Harman, chair of the Privileges Committee, who was so roundly condemned by the former prime minister.

However, a statement from the committee moments ago did say that Johnson had "impugned the integrity of the house".

There's also been nothing from Sue Gray, the former senior civil servant whose report on Partygate did much to undermine Johnson's position last year - and who Johnson also criticised in his statement. Not that we would expected her to publicly comment.

Committee gives punchy response to Johnson's attack

Helen Catt

Political correspondent

For a statement from a parliamentary committee, this is very punchy.

The Privileges Committee has just accused Boris Johnson of, in effect, ripping up the rules of the process (see our previous post).

And far from his resignation stopping it, they now plan to speed up publication of the report in light of Johnson’s actions today.

BreakingPrivileges Committee will meet on Monday to conclude Partygate probe

The Privileges Committee, which has been investigating Boris Johnson over Partygate, says it will meet on Monday to conclude its inquiry into the former PM.

After Johnson's blistering criticism of the committee in his resignation statement, a spokesperson for the committee says it has "followed the procedures and the mandate of the House at all times and will continue to do so".

They say that Johnson has "impugned the integrity of the House by his statement".

The committee's report will be published "promptly", the spokesperson adds.

Wait, what just happened?

Reuters

It's been just over two hours since Boris Johnson announced his shock departure as an MP, so let's recap what's happened:

• In his huge statement - just over 1,000 words long - Johnson takes aim at the Privileges Committee investigating him over Partygate, saying he is "bewildered and appalled" that he can be forced out
• Former civil servant Sue Gray was also singled out in his critical statement - she's not responded
• He has a dig at the government and PM Rishi Sunak, saying the majority he won in 2019 is now "clearly at risk"
• His departure triggers a by-election in the Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency - which he won with a majority of just over 7,000
• Johnson's loyal parliamentary supporters have been defending his legacy and expressing their shock on Twitter
• Labour's Angela Rayner claims the public are "sick of the Tory soap opera"; while the Liberal Democrats simply say "good riddance"

'The party's over now': Tomorrow's papers react

Saturday's newspapers are starting to roll off the presses, so let's take a look at their takes on Boris Johnson's resignation:

BBC

"Shamed ex-PM resigns" headlines the Mirror in its damning report. It accuses Boris Johnson of being "deluded" over claims he has been forced out

BBC

The Times reports Johnson led a "blistering attack" on Rishi Sunak's government, accusing his successor of abandoning the pledges he won on in 2019

BBC

The Daily Express focuses on Johnson's comparison of the Privileges Committee to a "kangaroo court".

Deeply awkward moment for Sunak

Chris Mason

Political editor

Tonight is deeply awkward for Rishi Sunak because what he has attempted to do since he became prime minister is define himself as everything Boris Johnson was not.

That includes a desire to bring a seriousness of purpose back to government, which plenty of critics to Boris Johnson said was not the hallmark of his time governing.

Yet, what we have seen tonight, what we have seen before, and what we will see again is the ghost of Boris Johnson.

It continues to haunt Rishi Sunak and the Conservative Party.

What Boris Johnson said tonight

PA Media

Boris Johnson has said he is quitting Parliament in a fiery 1,000-word statement. Here are the key bits:

• He branded the cross-party Commons privileges committee a "kangaroo court" trying to "drive me out of Parliament"
• He denied lying to Parliament over Partygate, accusing the committee of having "wilfully chosen to ignore the truth"
• He accused some Tory MPs of joining forces with opposition parties in a "witch hunt" against him
• He claimed this was part of a plot to "take revenge for Brexit" and "ultimately to reverse" the 2016 referendum result
• He said the party's popularity had taken a hit after he was ousted as PM, with Labour's poll lead "massively" widened
• He called for the Conservatives to cut business and personal taxes to "recapture its sense of momentum"

We've yet to have a direct response to his allegations from anyone he has directly criticised. Watch this space.

This isn't the end of Johnson, not a bit of it

Chris Mason

Political editor

Boris Johnson doesn't do whispers. Boris Johnson doesn't do subtle. Boris Johnson doesn't do black and white or beige.

He does maximum decibel, absolutely direct and hugely colourful interventions.

Tonight is one of those.

Johnson takes pot-shots at Parliament, he takes pot-shots at some of his fellow Conservative MPs and crucially he takes pot-shots at the prime minister.

But don't for a minute think this is the end of Boris Johnson. Not a bit of it.

What it has been yet again, is another day of what Boris Johnson does best - making headlines.

What exactly is in that key report?

Helen Catt

Political correspondent

BBC

Boris Johnson resigned days before the Privileges Committee is due to publish its report into whether the former prime minister misled MPs about Partygate.

The detail of the report remains under wraps, as I understand Johnson hasn’t actually responded to the Committee itself and it has said it won’t publish the report until he has done so.

He technically still has the remainder of the 14 days the committee gave him to respond.

What he was sent was a draft report with intended criticisms and a likely sanction.

It wasn’t yet the final recommendation.

We will find out eventually what the report says though because Boris Johnson stepping down as an MP doesn’t stop the process.

The final report will still be published.

LISTEN: Audience cheers at Johnson resignation

Earlier on BBC Radio 4, news of Boris Johnson's resignation was read out on the topical discussion programme Any Questions as it was being recorded in Pembrokeshire.

Listen to how the audience reacted:

Audience cheer as Boris Johnson resignation announced on Radio 4