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Inside the Tory civil war after Boris Johnson’s ‘Trumpian’ resignation made direct attack on Rishi Sunak

Boris Johnson’s seismic decision to quit as an MP ahead of a report claiming he misled Parliament has sparked a fresh civil war within the Conservative Party.

While many allies of the former prime minister agree with his assertions that there has been a “witch hunt” against him, others have accused him of emulating former US president Donald Trump and risking his party’s chances at the next general election.

Mr Johnson has stood down as the Conservative MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip with immediate effect after receiving the findings of the Privileges Committee investigation against him which stated he misled the Commons.

He branded the process a “kangaroo court” and said the committee’s members had been attempting to “drive me out of Parliament” despite having “still not produced a shred of evidence that I knowingly or recklessly misled the Commons”.

David Campbell Bannerman, chairman of the pro-Johnson Conservative Democratic Organisation (CDO) told BBC’s Newsnight programme that the process had been “a stitch-up right from the start”.

“If a court behaved this way, they’d all be thrown out, including the judge,” he said. “There are big questions about the fairness of this procedure. I think it’s a very bad day for democracy, and Boris is right to call it undemocratic. I do hope he does come back I believe he will.”

He agreed with Mr Johnson’s claims that his removal “is about Brexit”, claiming that he was being “punished for that more than anything”

Conservative MP Bob Seely told the same programme that the former PM had been “relentlessly attacked by a relatively poisonous Remain elite” and that he wished “he was still Prime Minister now”.

The Isle of Wight MP was critical, however, of Mr Johnson’s conduct, claiming that he had given his opposers “the tools to finish him off”.

“My problem with Boris is if you know people are out to get you don’t give them the ammunition to do so. And Boris didn’t change and he didn’t see these people relentlessly attacking him for so because he thought that he could survive,” he told Newsnight.

Will Walden, who served as press secretary under Mr Johnson, said his lengthy statement was “very Trumpian” and “deeply misleading”.

He told Sky News on Saturday that his former employer “cares about one thing and that’s winning” and quit to avoid a by-election in his constituency triggered by his suspension which he could lose to Labour.

“That’s the primary motivation here, protecting his version of the narrative. And by going as he has, all guns blazing, he’s able to avoid defeat and blame pretty much everyone else for his demise,” Mr Walden continued.

Many in the party have also expressed concern that Mr Johnson’s conduct in relation to the committee could cost them the next general election.

Former Tory MP David Mellor, who served as Chief Secretary to the Treasury under John Major, said Friday will be remembered as “the evening that the Conservative Party threw away the next election”.

He told GB News that Mr Johnson “doesn’t have much interest in the Conservative Party unless he’s leading it” and that the party has “just washed themselves down the sluice”.

“Being a member of Parliament was a bore for him, but it’s not going to be a bore for him making a thorough nuisance of himself. So this is bad for the Conservative Party,” Mr Mellor continued.

Fellow former MP and Cabinet minister David Gauke said that “the sooner the Conservative Party can move on from this soap opera, the better their chances at the next general election” and warned that Mr Johnson should not be allowed to reenter politics.

“He’s going to be a disruptive force as it is outside Parliament. If he were to return to the House of Commons at any point, we knew he would be undermining whoever was leader of the party until he was back in place,” he told Sky News on Saturday.

“So I think any sensible leader of the Conservative Party in the end but they’ve really got to make sure that there isn’t a route back.”

In his lengthy resignation letter, Mr Johnson hinted at a return to frontline politics, claiming that he was leaving Parliament “at least for now”.

One Tory MP and supporter of Mr Johnson told i that he was “leaving his options open” by quitting Parliament ahead of the Privileges Committee’s findings.

“Never say never in politics. He left Parliament once before to be Mayor of London so another return would not be anything new for him. If we do badly at the general election, and it looks like we’re out of power for a number of years, a call may well go out for him again.”

The decision of his staunch ally Nadine Dorries to also stand down has prompted speculation that he could attempt to stand in the former culture secretary’s Mid Bedfordshire constituency, which has a majority of more than 25,000.

One Tory insider told i that this could cause: “World war three between the local association and Tory HQ,” adding: “Thanks a f***ing bunch Boris.”

Mr Sunak now faces two difficult by-elections as a result of both Mr Johnson’s and Ms Dorries’ departures, with both seats particularly vulnerable to Labour.

According to polling firm Savanta, Labour could win Mr Johnson’s seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip with 52 per cent of the vote, while the Conservatives would come in second with 33 per cent of the vote.

In Mid Bedfordshire, despite Ms Dorries’ strong majority, her party could fall to just 38 per cent of the vote while Labour could narrowly win with 41 per cent of the vote.

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