Revealing his resignation, Mr Johnson said: “I have written to my Association in Uxbridge and South Ruislip today to say I am resigning immediately and calling an immediate by-election.
“It is very sad to leave Parliament, at least for now, but most of all I am bewildered and appalled that a committee chaired and led by Harriet Harman, with such egregious bias, could force me out, in an undemocratic manner. ”
He added: “I didn’t lie and I think in their hearts the committee knows that.
“But they have deliberately chosen to ignore the truth because from the beginning their purpose has not been to discover the truth, or to genuinely understand what was on my mind when I spoke in the House of Commons.”
Johnson insisted he was innocent about partygate, saying: “I have received a letter from the Committee on Privileges which makes it clear, to my surprise, that they are determined to use the proceedings against me to expel me from parliament.
“They have yet to produce one shred of evidence that I knowingly or recklessly misled the House of Commons.
“You know full well that when I spoke in the House of Commons I was saying what I sincerely believed to be true and what I had been ordered to say, just like any other minister. They know that I corrected the record as soon as possible; and they know that I and all the other senior officials and ministers, including the current Prime Minister and then occupant of the same building, Rishi Sunak, believed that we were legally working together.”
He added: “I am now being thrown out of parliament by a small handful of people, with no evidence to back up their claims, and no approval even from members of the Conservative Party, let alone from the general electorate.
“I think a dangerous and disturbing precedent is being set.”
‘After 13 years of conservative chaos, enough is enough’
Angela Rayner, Deputy Leader of the Labor Party and Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said: “The British public is fed up with this endless Conservative soap opera being played out at their expense.
“After 13 years of conservative chaos, enough is enough. It is time to turn the page on a fresh start for Britain with a Labor government focused on the people’s priorities of tackling the cost of living crisis and building a better future.”
The report on whether Johnson misled MPs about partygate is now set to be released next week, with the timing coming forward after his statement.
A spokesman for the privileges committee said: “The committee has followed House procedures and mandate at all times and will continue to do so. Johnson has stepped away from the House process and impugned the integrity of the House with his statement. The Committee will meet on Monday to conclude the investigation and publish its report as soon as possible.”