FORMER BRITISH PRIME Minister Theresa May has announced that she will step down at the next UK general election, ending a 27-year career in Parliament.
She has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Maidenhead constituency in the country of Berkshire.
May was first elected as MP for Maidenhead in 1997 and served as home secretary under then-PM and current foreign secretary David Cameron between 2010 and 2016.
She then succeeded Cameron as prime minister in the summer of 2016, following Cameron’s resignation after losing the Brexit referendum.
Her term was dominated by wrangling over Brexit and she called a snap general election in 2017 which saw her lose her majority.
However, she remained at Number 10 thanks to a deal with the DUP in the resulting hung parliament.
Eventually, opposition to her proposed Brexit deals saw Conservative MPs hold a confidence vote in her leadership, and although she survived, her authority was diminished, and she announced her resignation in May 2019.
She tendered her resignation on 24 July, 2019 and committed to returning to the role of backbench MP.
In her statement announcing her decision to step down as an MP, May said she has enjoyed being a backbencher and having more time to work for constituents in Maidenhead.
— Theresa May (@theresa_may) March 8, 2024
She added that she has been able to “champion causes close to my heart, including launching a Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking”.
However, May said these causes have been “taking an increasing amount of my time” and as a result, she has “realised I would no longer be able to do my job as an MP in the way I believe is right and my constituents deserve”.
She said she will continue to work hard until the next general election, which must be by January.
May also said she remains committed to current PM Rishi Sunak and his government.
Almost 100 MPs have now announced they will not fight their seats at the next election, including 64 Conservatives and former Conservatives – the most Tories to retire from Parliament since May became an MP in 1997.
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