THERESA May has announced she will be standing down as an MP at the next General Election.
The former Prime Minister, who has been an MP for 27 years, said it had been an "honour and a privilege" to serve her Maidenhead constituents.
Theresa May is stepping down as Maidenhead MP at the next General ElectionCredit: GettyShe made the "difficult" decision to step down to focus on causes close to her heart which "have been taking an increasing amount of my time".
Announcing the news to her local newspaper, the Maidenhead Advertiser, 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.
Michelle Mone's husband gifted Tories 'over £171k' as Covid PPE row rumbles on“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.
“I have therefore taken the difficult decision to stand down at the next General Election.”
She added: “I have served as Home Secretary and Prime Minister but none of that would have been possible without the people of Maidenhead and the constituency which I have been proud to call my home.”
May has been a Conservative MP since 1997, having been elected to the Berkshire seat seven times.
She served as Home Secretary under David Cameron from 2010 to 2016 before taking over his role at Number 10 after he resigned in the wake of the Brexit vote.
A snap election in 2017 saw May lose her majority, but she remained in power thanks to a deal with the DUP.
She spent the following two years negotiating a Brexit deal with the EU but was forced to resign in 2019 after failing to get it through Parliament.
Announcing her resignation on May 24, 2019, May delivered an emotional speech outside Downing Street in which she described her time in the role as "the honour of my life".
In her statement, the Maidenhead MP said it had been "an honour and a privilege to serve everyone in the Maidenhead constituency".
She added: “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."
500 deaths is criminal and you can't blame it on strikers - Voice of the MirrorAlmost 100 MPs have announced they will not fight their seats at the next election, including 64 Conservatives and former Conservatives.
This is the highest number of Tories to retire from Parliament since May entered the Commons in 1997.
May has been the Conservative MP for Maidenhead since 1997Credit: PAMay pictured giving an emotional speech announcing her resignation as PMCredit: Dan Charity - The Sun