Former British Prime Minister declares intention to resign from UK parliament

Theresa May, a former British prime minister, said that she would not run in the upcoming general election, ending her 27-year tenure in the UK parliament.

She was originally elected as a Member of Parliament for Maidenhead in 1997. Before taking over as prime minister in 2016, she worked under David Cameron as home secretary from 2010 to 2016.

On Friday, May announced her decision to resign as the Maidenhead MP, stating that she will instead concentrate on advocating for causes, such as the fight against modern slavery.

“Since stepping down as prime minister, I have enjoyed being a backbencher again and having more time to work for my constituents and champion causes close to my heart, including most recently launching a Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking,” she said in a statement to the Maidenhead Advertiser, her local newspaper.

“These causes have been taking an increasing amount of my time.

“Because of this, after much careful thought and consideration, I have realised that looking ahead, I would no longer be able to do my job as an MP in the way I believe is right and my constituents deserve.”

With support from the governments of Bahrain and the UK, May, 67, inaugurated her Global Commission in October. She has been a steadfast advocate against human trafficking and modern slavery.

She was originally elected as a Member of Parliament for Maidenhead in 1997. Before taking over as prime minister in 2016, she worked under David Cameron as home secretary from 2010 to 2016.

The three difficult years of her tenure in Downing Street were dominated by political squabbling over Brexit.

She lost her majority in a snap election in 2017, but she managed to hold onto her ranking at number ten by striking an agreement with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in Northern Ireland during the ensuing hung parliament.

After a show of disapproval for her planned Brexit deal, Conservative MPs eventually held a vote of confidence in her leadership. She survived, but her influence had decreased, and five months later she announced her resignation.

May pledged in her speech that she would keep serving her constituents’ interests until the general election, which is anticipated to take place in the second half of this year, calling it “an honour and a privilege” to be Maidenhead’s MP.

She added: “As I pass on the baton, I will be ready to work with my successor to secure a Conservative victory in Maidenhead.

“I remain committed to supporting (current Prime Minister) Rishi Sunak and the government and believe that the Conservatives can win the election.

“I would like to thank all those who chose me to represent them as their member of parliament.”

Nearly 100 MPs, including 64 Conservatives and former Conservatives, have said they would not run for office in the upcoming election. This is the highest number of Conservatives to leave parliament since May joined the Commons in 1997.

The chairwoman of the Labour Party, Anneliese Dodds, expressed “no confidence” in Sunak and the future of the Conservative Party due to the number of Tories stepping out.

Treasury Minister Gareth Davies, however, refuted that, saying on Sky News that he was “personally sad” to see May resign.

It is “completely reasonable,” he continued, for someone to choose to resign from parliament before an election.

“Each one has made their own decision for personal reasons and I respect every single person’s decision to do so,” he said.