Former British Prime Minister Theresa May announced in an interview on Friday that she would not stand again in the next general election expected this year, after serving 27 years as an MP.
Theresa May took over as head of government after the resignation of David Cameron in the wake of the “leave” victory in the June 2016 referendum on the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union.
She announced her resignation three years later on the verge of tears, failing to have her agreement to leave the EU adopted by Parliament.
In a statement to her local newspaper, the Maidenhead Advertiser, the 67-year-old former head of government cited the increasing time she is devoting to the fight against modern slavery and human trafficking.
“After careful consideration, I have realized that in the future, I will no longer be able to do my job as an MP in the way that I believe is right and that my constituents deserve,” she announced.
MP for Maidenhead (about fifty kilometers west of London) since 1997, Theresa May was David Cameron’s Interior Minister from 2010 to 2016, before succeeding him as head of government.
“I will work with my successor to ensure a Conservative victory in Maidenhead,” said Theresa May, showing her support for current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his government.
She also says she believes in a victory for her party, in power for 14 years, although polls show a large victory for the Labor opposition.
As the elections approach, the date of which has not been announced but which are expected in the fall rather than in May, nearly 100 outgoing deputies have already announced that they will not run again, including 64 Conservatives or former Conservatives, a figure at the highest since 1997, which saw Labor Tony Blair come to power.