William Hague quits as Foreign Secretary as part of Cabinet reshuffle

William Hague quits as Foreign Secretary as part of Cabinet reshuffle

Updated 11:21pm Monday 14th July 2014 in News By Andrew Douglas, Deputy News Editor

Quit: William Hague

WILLIAM Hague has tonight quit as foreign secretary and announced he will stand down as Richmond MP at next year's general election.

The shock news came as the Prime Minister cleared the way for a younger generation - and more women - to take their places at the Cabinet table.

Mr Hague, 53, will take up the lesser role of Leader of the Commons and spearhead the Tory campaign in key constituencies, particularly in the North, until he leaves his safe seat after 26 years.

He said: "I wish to thank my constituents in Richmond, Yorkshire, one of the greatest places on earth, for their emphatic support through thick and thin over such a long period." "I will serve them with unabated energy between now and the general election, and I look forward to supporting my eventual successor.

"I am delighted to be able to serve as Leader of the House of Commons, and to be able to campaign for Conservative candidates across the country. I want to finish in frontline politics as I began - speaking in Parliament and campaigning on international causes I believe in."

"By the time of the general election next year, I will have served 26 years in the House of Commons and it will be 20 years since I first joined the Cabinet.

"In government there is a balance to strike between experience on the one hand and the need for renewal on the other, and I informed the prime minister last summer that I would not be a candidate at the next general election."

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William Hague quits as Foreign Secretary as part of Cabinet reshuffle