BORIS Johnson had left “the most unremovable stain” on his character according to Dorset MP Simon Hoare.

The MP for North Dorset said he hoped Mr Johnson, who is expected to resign as Prime Minister today, should leave parliament.

Mr Hoare said his Conservative colleague should be “thoroughly, thoroughly, ashamed” of the harm he had caused in the past few days.

Speaking to the Daily Echo, Mr Hoare said: “I think he will leave office and this is by his own hand and his own doing but he leaves with the most unremovable stain on his character and his approach to public service and I hope now that he will leave parliament and leave the national scene.

“I think he has done irreparable harm to Parliament, the country and the Conservative Party and he should be thoroughly, thoroughly, ashamed.

“I think the Tory party needs to move as quickly as it can to find a leader and that leader needs to be a ground up and understand they are doing collective cabinet government in the United Kingdom and not presidential populism in America.”

Details have yet to be confirmed on the process that will take place to appoint a new Conservative Party leader to takeover as Prime Minister.

Mr Hoare said the new leader needed to respect the rule of law, the institutions of the United Kingdom and moving away from the “childish obsession of Trumpian populism”.

He said it was an “opportunity to reset what most people recognise as the correct way of government”.

The Northern Ireland select committee chair said he would wait and see on who steps forward as leadership candidates, but he said the idea there was no one in the party capable of replacing Mr Johnson was “for the birds”.

Asked about Brendon Lewis resigning as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Mr Hoare said: “I think he came to the right decision.

“It is extraordinary that any member of cabinet could continue in office irrespective of what their job is”

He added: “It is colleagues who didn’t resign who should be wondering ‘why didn’t I’.”

On the events of the past couple of days, Mr Hoare said: “What we have seen is in effect, if not a power grab, an attempt to retain power when it was not being given to retain.”