Country wants to move on from Boris Johnson, says Shappson June 11, 2023 at 12:39 pm

The country “wants to move on” from Boris Johnson, Energy Secretary Grant Shapps has said, dismissing claims the ex-PM was the victim of a witch hunt.

Mr Johnson resigned as an MP, saying he had been forced out by a “Kangaroo Court” of MPs investigating Partygate.

Speaking on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Shapps said it was Mr Johnson’s “own decision” to stand down.

He also denied reports Rishi Sunak’s team prevented Mr Johnson handing out honours to key allies.

Mr Johnson’s dramatically stood down from Parliament, just hours after Downing Street published his resignation honours list without the names of key allies including Nadine Dorries, Sir Alok Sharma and Nigel Adams.

All three had been expecting to be appointed to the House of Lords, the BBC has been told.

Competing claims about how and why the names were removed are now at the heart of a rift within the Tory party following the former PM’s resignation.

A source familiar with the process has told the BBC that Mr Sunak’s political team removed some of Mr Johnson’s suggestions months ago.

Asked if rumours were true that Mr Sunak’s team had removed the names, Mr Shapps said: “No.”

“The prime minster has exactly followed the very longstanding conventions” over honours, Mr Shapps said.

The House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC) – the official body for checking and vetting new peers – has confirmed it rejected eight of Mr Johnson’s nominations on the grounds of propriety.

Pressed on whether Mr Sunak’s team had taken names off the list months before the nominations were sent to HOLAC, Mr Shapps said: “As far as I’m aware that is not true.”

The spat might look grubby from the outside – but some of Mr Johnson’s allies have no desire to let this lie.

Within 24-hours of the list being published both Ms Dorries and Mr Adams resigned as MPs – triggering by-elections in their constituencies, both of which are considered safe seats for the Conservatives.

Mr Johnson’s resignation also triggers a by-election in his marginal constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip.

This hat-trick of by-elections have the potential to create major problems for Mr Sunak at a time when the Conservatives are trailing Labour by an average of 15 points in national polls.

Pressed on whether Mr Johnson had been the victim of a witch hunt, Mr Shapps said: “I don’t think that’s true.”

“Boris himself has decided to step down – that is his own decision.”

“People don’t miss the drama” of Mr Johnson’s time in office, Mr Shapps added.

Mr Johnson announced he was leaving parliament a day after seeing advance a report of the findings of the Commons Privileges Committee investigating into whether he misled the Commons over Partygate.

In an explosive and lengthy statement, he called the committee a “kangaroo court” whose purpose “has been to find me guilty, regardless of the facts”.

In a written statement, Mr Johnson said the draft report from the committee was “riddled with inaccuracies and reeks of prejudice”.

He said the committee was “determined to use the proceedings against me to drive me out of Parliament”.

Asked about Mr Johnson’s comments, Mr Shapps said: “I haven’t seen what they’ve written, but I have no particular reason to think that is the case.”

Labour’s shadow foreign secretary David Lammy said the fallout from Mr Johnson’s resignation shows “there should be a general election”.

Speaking on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Lammy said: “We have a former prime minister crafting a letter undermining the sitting prime minister.

“And we’ve got three by-elections brought about, not in the usual way because an MP has passed away, or there has been wrongdoing, but simply because these MPs want to put pressure on the current government.

“I don’t say this with any glee, I say it because I genuinely believe, in the interests of this country, we need certainty.”