Theresa May to stand down as MP at general election

Former prime minister Theresa May has announced she will step down as an MP in the next general election, ending her 27-year stint in parliament.

In a statement to a local newspaper in her Maidenhead constituency, Ms May admitted it was a “challenging decision” to step away from politics.

She told the Maidenhead Advertiser she had taken the decision to “focus on causes close to her heart including her work on the Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking”.

She said: “It has been an honour and a privilege to serve everyone in the Maidenhead constituency as the member of parliament for the last 27 years.

“Being an MP is about service to one’s constituents and I have always done my best to ensure that I respond to the needs of local people and the local area.”

Ms May was first elected as the MP for Maidenhead in 1997, eventually going on to serve as the second ever female prime minister from July 2016 to July 2019.

She earned a reputation for her tough stance on immigration and law and order issues during her time as home secretary under then prime minister David Cameron between 2010 and 2016 before succeeding him in the top role.

But her term in Downing Street was cut short after a turbulent three years where she was dubbed the ‘Maybot’ for her robotic interview style, and her tenure was dominated by wrangling over Brexit negotiations.