A SOUTHEND MP has doubled down on his support of Boris Johnson insisting he will “be needed by his party and country in the future”, despite the former PM being found to have intentionally misled Parliament over Covid lockdown parties.

Conservative loyalist Sir James Duddridge, Southend East MP, branded Mr Johnson a “titan among minnows” when he announced he was resigning as the MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip last Friday.

This came before the damning findings drew that the former PM deliberately mislead the House of Commons over lockdown gatherings, widely known as ‘Partygate’ by repeatedly telling MPs that no Covid rules were broken, and that Number 10 was an “oasis of normality” during the height of lockdown.

The former PM slammed the report and its findings and branded it “deranged” before adding it was “intended to be the final knife-thrust in a protracted political assassination.”

Mr Duddridge, a loyal friend of Mr Johnson, expressed being “very disappointed” in the report.

He said: “I am very disappointed in this report. A 90-day suspension is ridiculous. Boris is right to have walked away from this process and resigned.

“He can always come back in the future when he no doubt will be needed by both his party and the country.

“I thank him for his service and was proud to serve alongside him as a Minister and his PPS.”

One witness told the committee that social gatherings, leaving dos and birthday parties “continued as normal” with staff being told to watch out for CCTV cameras.

They felt that the rules were not being followed while the rest of the country grappled with the pandemic.

Even though the report was released yesterday, it was shown to Mr Johnson prior it being made public, resulting in a reference to the committee’s findings in his resignation statement.

The cross-party committee have said that he would have faced 90-day suspension had he not quit at findings last week.

Southend Kursaal Ward Labour councillor Matt Dent reacted to the findings by not being able to “understand why there are still Tory MPs throwing themselves on Johnson’s pyre, full in the knowledge that he would chuck them under a bus in a heartbeat”.

However, John Baron, MP for Basildon and Billericay, says the findings reflect why he withdrew support for Mr Johnson in May 2022, and that it is “essential for parliament to be given the ability to endorse the findings of the committee within a reasonable timeframe”.

Reacting to Mr Duddridge’s reaction, Southend Labour councillor Mandy O’Connor said: “I never expected anything less than the comments James has made, considering he and Boris Johnson are friends.

“However, it has now been proven that Boris lied and misled parliament.

“I think a lot of Southend residents who may have lost loved ones during covid, or suffered alone following illnesses or hospitalisations, will be pondering at the next general election as to whether they want their MP to retain his seat and continue to represent them.”