Theresa May to step down at next election as Tory exodus gathers pace

The former prime minister Theresa May will step down as an MP at the next general election after 27 years in parliament, making her one of the highest-profile Conservatives to join a wave of departures from the House of Commons.

- Jamie Grierson Kiran Stacey

As polls continue to show Labour with a significant lead over the Conservatives, the Maidenhead MP joins 64 Conservatives and former Conservatives who will not fight their seats at the next election - the highest number of Tories to retire from parliament since May entered the Commons in 1997. Labour has argued this shows there is "no confidence" in the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, and the Tory party's electoral prospects.

May, 67, served as home secretary under David Cameron between 2010 and 2016 before succeeding him as prime minister.

In her statement, May said it had been "an honour and a privilege" to serve as Maidenhead's MP and vowed to continue working for her constituents until the general election, which is expected in the second half of this year.

"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," May wrote in the Maidenhead Advertiser.

May was prime minister for three years and will be remembered in large part for her decision to call a snap election in 2017 in an attempt to secure a parliamentary majority, only to lose seats and ultimately, her authority over her party.

Her turbulent two years in Downing Street after that were plagued by party infighting as she tried to find a way to deliver a Brexit deal that would placate both the hard-right and centrist factions in her party.