Former UK PM Theresa May to quit parliament at next election

LONDON -- Former United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Theresa May said Friday that she will be standing down as a member of Parliament (MP) at the next general election.

In a statement to the Maidenhead Advertiser, May said her work on fighting human trafficking and modern slavery was taking up an increasing amount of her time. "I have realized 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."

May, 67, has been MP for Maidenhead since 1997. She became prime minister in 2016 after the resignation of David Cameron following the Brexit referendum. However, she quit as leader of the Conservative Party and prime minister in mid-2019, after failing to steer the UK through its divorce with the European Union.

She is now one of nearly 100 lawmakers, including 64 Conservatives and former Conservatives, who have announced they will not fight their seats at the next general election, widely expected to be held in the second half of this year.

The growing list of Tory MPs deciding to quit the parliament includes high-profile ex-cabinet secretaries including Sajid Javid, the former health secretary; Dominic Raab, the ex-justice secretary and Ben Wallace, the former defense secretary.