David Cameron announced he will resign from the House of Commons with immediate effect this afternoon.
Mr Cameron, who served as Prime Minister until July this year, has been Member of Parliament for Witney in Oxfordshire since 2001.
He said it was time to “build a life outside of parliament” after quitting as Prime Minister in the wake of the Brexit vote, adding that he informed his successor Theresa May of his decision this afternoon.
Mr Cameron also claimed it would be hard not be “an enormous diversion and distraction” from Mrs May if he remains in Parliament.
His resignation will now trigger a by-election in Witney, which will serve as Mrs May’s first electoral test as Prime Minister. As the seat is considered very safe Conservative, however, it is highly unlikely there will be an upset.
The former Prime Minister was heavily criticised for awarding honours to close allies after leaving Downing Street, and faced the prospect of having to support Theresa May’s policy of allowing the creation of new grammar schools – a policy that he had strongly resisted during his time as leader of the Conservative Party.
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