A top Tory has said the "world has moved on" from Boris Johnson after the bitter ex-PM dramatically quit Parliament before he could be ousted over the Partygate 'lies' probe.
Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps rejected Mr Johnson's claims he'd been forced out, saying "he is the one who has removed himself" by resigning as an MP.
Mr Johnson said he was stepping down on Friday after being sent the findings of the Commons Privileges Committee report into whether he misled MPs over what he knew about lockdown boozing in No10.
The shamed former PM reportedly received the email on flight to Cairo, which informed him he'd face a 10-day suspension - which could have led to a by-election in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat.
In a lengthy resignation statement, Mr Johnson ranted that he'd been forced out by a "kangaroo court" and claimed he was the victim of a "witch hunt".
He also notably said he was quitting "for now", prompting fevered speculation he might launch a "chicken run" into a safer Tory seat
Asked if it was a "witch hunt", he told Sky News' Sophy Ridge On Sunday said: "I definitely don't feel that way."
Asked if the "establishment" had forced the ex-PM out, he said: "No, actually in the end Boris was perfectly entitled to remain as an MP.
"He has decided to step down and a couple of my other colleagues, all of them whom I've worked with and Boris in particular, I liked working with him as Prime Minister.
"But...the world has moved on. He is the one who has removed himself from the current political scene, standing down as a member of Parliament.
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"We've got excellent leadership in place in No10 with Rishi Sunak."
Mr Shapps delivered a less that enthusiastic assessment of his old boss, saying people would recognise Mr Johnson had "many qualities".
Relations between Mr Johnson and Rishi Sunak have plummeted to a new low following a row over the ex-PM honours list.
Mr Johnson showered a string of cronies and Partygate aides with gongs on Friday but his efforts to hand peerages to allies Nadine Dorries and Alok Sharma fell flat.
The furious Tory accused No10 of blocking the move - something Downing Street denies.
The Prime Minister has not changed Mr Johnson's resignation honours list "in any way", Mr Shapps said.
A source close to Mr Sunak said: "When the Prime Minister met with the former Prime Minister recently, [Boris Johnson] raised the matter of peerages with him, to which the current Prime Minister made clear he would follow precedent and not interfere with the process.
"Any suggestions of promises made or guarantees given are categorically untrue."
Mr Johnson's departure has blown the lid off simmering Tory tensions and plunged the party into open warfare.
Tobias Ellwood, Conservative chairman of the Commons Defence Committee, said Mr Johnson's attack on the Partygate probe and the manner of his exit was "akin to mutiny".
The former minister told GB News: "It is a grave moment for our party.
"Johnson quit not only kicking the milk bottles on the way out but rallying other MPs to follow in order to inflict maximum damage to the party he claims to support."
Conservative MP Tim Loughton told Mr Johnson to "shut up and go away and let us get on with the business of running the country".
He said: "Boris is no longer the Prime Minister. He hasn't been Prime Minister for some time. His sad demise was brought about entirely at his own doing, frankly."
But Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, who was handed a knighthood by Mr Johnson on Friday, said the ex-PM could come back to lead the party.
"I would most strongly warn Conservative Party managers against any attempt to block Boris if he seeks the party nomination in another seat," he said in a warning to Mr Sunak.
"Any attempt to do so would shatter our fragile party unity and plunge the Conservatives into civil war."
Mr Johnson's ex-No10 comms chief Guto Harri said the former PM had jumped instead of “being dragged kicking and screaming” out of Parliament.
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