This is despite objections by his successor Rishi Sunak's government.

MPs voted by 354 to seven in favour of the Privileges Committee's findings, with many Conservatives, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, abstaining.

The parliamentary vote is being held on Johnson's 59th birthday as the wounded former leader ponders his next move, with allies predicting a future return to the electoral fray.

It says he took the job as a columnist without waiting for required ethics vetting.

Johnson shot back, repeating his innocence and condemning the report as 'rubbish', 'a lie' and 'a charade', and accusing committee members of waging a vendetta against him.

The politician has been under investigation by a cross-party committee about whether he repeatedly lied to Parliament over Covid lockdown-breaking parties when he was in office.

The Cabinet Office says it made a referral to police based on information discovered while preparing submissions for a public inquiry into the pandemic.

Richard Sharp will stay on until the end of June to give the government time to find his successor.

Parliament's Committee of Privileges is investigating whether Johnson intentionally or recklessly misled the House of Commons in a series of statements about the gatherings.

Parliament's Committee of Privileges is investigating whether Johnson intentionally or recklessly misled parliament in a series of statements about the rule-breaking parties.

The apparent threat came in a phone call just ahead of the invasion on Feb 24, reports say.

Johnson's best paid work was a speech in New York to the US finance firm Centerview Partners worth £277,724.