Theresa May, the former prime minister, declared she will resign from her position as an MP at the next general election.
For 27 years, May has served as the representative for Maidenhead in Berkshire. She led the nation following the Brexit referendum.During her time in Downing Street, she was appointed junior local government minister by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who described her as a "relentless campaigner" who had been "fiercely loyal" to Maidenhead. He observed that she "defines what it means to be a public servant".
With May's declaration, the total number of Members of Parliament announcing their intention to resign at the next election is now 95.Former ministers Chris Grayling, Sajid Javid, Ben Wallace, Matt Hancock, Dominic Raab, and Kwasi Kwarteng are also on the list.
This is already greater than the 31 MPs who resigned in the lead-up to the 2017 snap election and the 74 MPs who resigned before the most recent election in 2019.
However, it roughly corresponds with the 90 resignations that occurred in 2015, and the 149 resignations that occurred prior to the 2010 election, which resulted in Labour losing its 13-year majority.
But for how long was May prime minister and why is she standing down as MP?
How long was Theresa May prime minister?
Theresa May served as the prime minister from 2016 to 2019.
From May 2010 until July 2016, May held the position of Home Secretary for one of the longest tenures in British history.That July, she was elected prime minister when David Cameron resigned in the wake of the Brexit referendum.
But after her repeated attempts to convince the Commons to support her Brexit deal were thwarted, she resigned as prime minister around three years later.On June 7, 2019, she resigned as leader of the Conservative party, but remained in No 10 for a few more weeks until Boris Johnson was selected as her replacement.
Why is she standing down as MP?
She claimed that by making the "difficult decision" to vacate the position, she would have more time to dedicate to "causes close to my heart".
May said: "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.
"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.”
