Former British Prime Minister David Cameron announced Monday that he was immediately resigning as a member of Parliament, triggering a by-election in his Whitney constituency.
Cameron’s decision comes two months after he stepped down as prime minister in the aftermath of the United Kingdom’s June vote to leave the European Union. Cameron, a member of the Conservative Party, lobbied against the Brexit campaign and advocated for Britain to remain in the EU.
He told the Daily Telegraph that he had notified current Prime Minister Theresa May of his resignation Monday.
Cameron previously said he was "very keen" to continue serving as an MP after departing from 10 Downing Street, but ultimately decided his role as a backbench lawmaker would detract from May’s efforts to spearhead Brexit.
"In my view, the circumstances of my resignation as prime minister and the realities of modern politics make it very difficult to continue on the backbenches without the risk of becoming a diversion to the important decisions that lie ahead for my successor in Downing Street and the government," Cameron said.
"I fully support Theresa May and have every confidence that Britain will thrive under her strong leadership," he said.
Cameron became leader of the Conservative Party in 2005 and was elected Prime Minister in 2010.
May expressed gratitude for Cameron’s service in a post to Facebook.
"I was proud to serve in David Cameron’s government and under his leadership we achieved great things. Not just stabilizing the economy but also making great strides in delivering serious social reform," she said. "His commitment to leading a one nation government is one that I will continue."
Cameron said while he was leaving the House of Commons, he intended to campaign on issues that he passionately pursued during his work in Parliament.