The former prime minister released a new statement after the inquiry said it was "dealing with" further representations received from his legal team at 11.57 on Monday evening.

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The panel of cross-party MPs is poised to deliver a damning verdict that Mr Johnson deliberately misled parliament with his claims that COVID rules were followed at all times in Downing Street during the pandemic.

The report was expected to be published as early as Wednesday after Mr Johnson sensationally quit as an MP, having received an advanced copy of its findings.

In a statement on Tuesday night, the former Tory leader called on the inquiry to "publish their report and let the world judge their nonsense".

He added: "They have no excuse for delay.

"Their absurdly unfair rules do not even allow any criticism of their findings.

"I have made my views clear to the committee in writing - and will do so more widely when they finally publish."

No information was given by the privileges committee about the arguments made by Johnson's legal representatives, but his last-minute intervention is likely to delay the publication of their findings.

A committee spokesman said on Tuesday: "A letter enclosing further representations from Mr Johnson was received by the committee at 11.57pm last night.

"The committee is dealing with these and will report promptly."

It has been suggested that the panel had been discussing a 20-day suspension as punishment for lying, triggering a recall petition and potential by-election.

Mr Johnson cannot be suspended now he has resigned, but he could be refused a parliamentary pass offered to former MPs, a sanction imposed on former speaker John Bercow after a bullying report.

Despite the findings expected to be damaging, Mr Johnson has insisted "I'll be back" - a reference to Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator.

In the Daily Express, the former prime minister said: "We must fully deliver on Brexit and on the 2019 manifesto. We must smash Labour at the next election.

"Nothing less than absolute victory and total Brexit will do - and as the great Arnold Schwarzenegger said, I'll be back."

The message echoed Mr Johnson's sign-off during his final appearance at Prime Minister's Questions last year, when he told MPs: "Hasta la vista, baby" - the catchphrase of Schwarzenegger's cyborg character in the 1991 movie Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

That reference similarly left the door open for a possible comeback, but the former Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP remained on the back benches until quitting the Commons on Friday.

Following his shock resignation, Mr Johnson launched into a public spat with Rishi Sunak over his resignation honours list.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer warned that Tory infighting between the two erstwhile allies is damaging the UK's reputation internationally and putting off investors.

He told business chiefs at London Tech Week: "There's a deeper price because there's a reputation hit to the UK.

"I think there's an economic hit as well, many investors said to me, we're not investing in the UK right now because we don't see the conditions of certainty and stability we need in order to invest."