Former U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron has resigned from politics, announcing on Monday his plan to step down as a member of parliament (MP).
He told ITV television news that he was resigning as a backbench MP after thinking "long and hard" over the summer. Cameron quit as prime minister in June after leading the losing "remain" side in the referendum on whether the U.K. should remain in the European Union.
"I've decided the right thing to do is to step down as the member of parliament for (his constituency) Witney … In my view, with modern politics, with the circumstances of my resignation 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," Cameron said in a television interview.
Cameron said he had told new Prime Minister Theresa May of his decision this afternoon. He told ITV he had no confirmed plans for the future.
Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook.