David Cameron, the former UK Prime Minister, has announced he will stand down as a Conservative member of Parliament, the BBC reports.
His resignation will trigger a by-election in his constituency of Witney, Oxfordshire, where he has been an MP since 2001.
The shock announcement comes less than three months after Cameron lost the vote to remain in the EU and resigned from his role as Prime Minister.
In a statement made to ITV news, he said: "In my view, with modern politics, with the circumstances of my resignation [as PM] it isn’t really possible to be a proper backbench MP as a former prime minister.
"I think everything you do will become a big distraction and a big diversion from what the government needs to do for our country."
In the statement, Cameron also said he "fully supports" Theresa May and has "every confidence that Britain will thrive under her strong leadership".
He went on to add: "I now look forward to a life outside of Westminster, but hope to continue to play a part in public service and to make a real and useful contribution to the country I love."
During the 2015 general election campaign, he said he would remain an MP until 2020, when the current parliament ends.
This is a breaking story which will be updated with more details as they emerge.
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