Former British Prime Minister Theresa May to resign as MP

She was also responsible for terrorist attacks in London and Manchester. (document)

London, UK:

Former British Prime Minister Theresa May announced on Friday that she will resign as an MP at the next general election later this year.

May, 67, is the most senior member of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party to announce she will not seek re-election.

The Conservatives have trailed the main opposition Labor Party since October 2022 and are widely expected to be ousted from power in 14 years.

May has represented the constituency of Maidenhead in southeast England since 1997 and served as prime minister from 2016 to 2019, a tumultuous period as Britain attempted to negotiate its departure from the European Union.

She said in a statement to the local Maidenhead Advertiser: “It has been a great privilege to serve everyone in the Maidenhead constituency as a member of parliament for the past 27 years.”

“Since resigning as Prime Minister, I am delighted to once again serve as a backbencher and have more time to work for my constituents and advocate for causes close to my heart, including the recent establishment of the Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking.

“These reasons are taking up more and more of my time.

She added: “So, after much thought and consideration, I realize that, going forward, I will no longer be able to carry out my job as an MP in the way that I believe is right and that my constituents deserve.”

May served as home secretary under then-leader David Cameron from 2010 to 2016.

However, he resigned immediately after the British referendum on leaving the European Union on June 23, 2016, and May became prime minister less than a month later.

She called for a general election in 2017 to try to break the deadlock over the terms of Brexit, but the vote ended in a hung parliament.

Her Conservative Party suffered a crushing defeat in the European elections in May 2019, leading to her resignation as her deal failed to pass parliament.

While Brexit dominates the story, May is also responsible for terrorist attacks in London and Manchester, as well as the Grenfell Tower fire in the British capital that killed 72 people.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)