LONDON — Former prime minister David Cameron, who has stayed out of the public eye since leaving Downing Street in July, has decided to step down from his position in Parliament and put an end to his political career.
Cameron’s surprise announcement Monday will trigger a by-election in the county of Witney in Oxfordshire, which has been a safe seat for his Conservative Party for several decades.
Cameron, 49, won a general election in 2015, but his fortunes shifted overnight in June when British voters rejected his pleas and decided to leave the European Union.
He announced the next morning he would step down as prime minister but planned to stay on in Parliament. On Monday, he said he had concluded that it made more sense for him to leave office.
The former prime minister said he fully supports successor Theresa May, now charged with carrying out the voters’ mandate to extricate Britain from the 28-nation EU bloc.
May said in a statement that she had been proud to serve in Cameron’s government, where she held the important role of home secretary.
Cameron did not announce his future plans.