http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/13/world/europe/david-cameron-parliament-britain-witney.html 2016-09-12 21:08:21 David Cameron Steps Down From His Seat in British Parliament The former British prime minister said he is leaving the House of Commons because his continued presence would be a distraction to the new government. === LONDON — The post is ancient and the duties are light (nonexistent, actually). But in order to step down from his seat in the House of Commons, Under arcane parliamentary rules, normally referred to as “taking the Mr. Cameron resigned as prime minister in June after failing to persuade Britons to vote to remain inside the bloc. Monday’s announcement means that he will also relinquish his parliamentary seat in Witney, Oxfordshire. The seat will be filled by a special election. “In my view, with modern politics, with the circumstances of my resignation, it isn’t really possible to be a proper backbench M.P. as a former prime minister,” Mr. Cameron told ITV News, using the abbreviation for member of Parliament. “I think everything you do will become a big distraction and a big diversion from what the government needs to do for our country.” Mr. Cameron, 49, had a swift rise through the ranks of British politics. He won his seat in Parliament in 2001, becoming Conservative Party leader in 2005, and prime minister in 2010, at the head of a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats. His administration faced the formidable task of stabilizing the economy after the Among the biggest changes ushered in by his government was the In the 2015 general election, Mr. Cameron led the Conservatives to an outright majority in the House of Commons, but he had little time to enjoy that victory, having promised in 2013 to hold a referendum on leaving the Mr. Cameron favored remaining in Europe, and when he lost the referendum his position as prime minister became untenable. On Monday, his successor, But Angela Eagle from the opposition Labour Party told the BBC that Mr. Cameron had “put his whole country at risk to settle a debate in his own party” by staging the referendum on membership of the European Union. “He has now walked away leaving others to clear up the mess,” she added.