Boris Johnson committed "repeated contempts" of Parliament with his partygate denials that merited a 90-day suspension, a cross-party investigation has found.
The Privileges Committee's recommended suspension for acts, including deliberately misleading MPs, would have paved the way for a by-election for the former prime minister if he had not resigned in anticipation. Mr Johnson hit out at what he called a "deranged conclusion", accusing the Tory-majority group of MPs he has repeatedly sought to disparage of lying.
He called the committee led by Labour veteran Harriet Harman "beneath contempt" and claimed its 14-month investigation had delivered "what is intended to be the final knife-thrust in a protracted political assassination".
Mr Johnson quit the Commons last week after reading the report's findings, meaning he will escape the immediate prospect of a sanction.
The recommended suspension far exceeded the 10-day threshold which, if approved by the wider House of Commons, could have led to a by-election in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency.
The Privileges Committee said Mr Johnson's attack on its work amounts to "an attack on our democratic institutions".
Its report said: "We note that Mr Johnson does not merely criticise the fairness of the committee's procedures; he also attacks in very strong, indeed vitriolic, terms the integrity, honesty and honour of its members.
"He stated that the committee had 'forced him out (...) anti-democratically'.
"This attack on a committee carrying out its remit from the democratically elected House itself amounts to an attack on our democratic institutions.
"We consider that these statements are completely unacceptable. In our view this conduct, together with the egregious breach of confidentiality, is a serious further contempt."
The Privileges Committee considered whether it should have recommended expelling Boris Johnson from the Commons if he had remained as an MP.
During discussion of the report's final findings, the SNP's Allan Dorans and Labour's Yvonne Fovargue backed the stronger sanction.
But the four Tory members of the committee - Sir Bernard Jenkin, Sir Charles Walker, Andy Carter and Alberto Costa - opposed the amendment.
The committee concluded that it would have recommended a 90-day suspension had Mr Johnson not already quit in protest at their provisional conclusions.
Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the Echo Daily newsletter here
READ NEXT:
Live updates as police cordon off St John's Gardens in city centre
New Look selling £15 dupe of Kate Middleton's favourite £70 summer trainers
