LONDON (Reuters) - British Foreign
Secretary William Hague announced his surprise resignation on Monday night
ahead of a closely-fought national election next May as part of Prime Minister
David Cameron's biggest ever reshuffle of top government jobs.
Hague, Britain's most senior
diplomat for the past four years and a former leader of Cameron's Conservative
party, said he was standing down with immediate effect to take up a more junior
ministerial post.
Citing government sources, local
media tipped Philip Hammond, the current defence secretary, as Hague's
successor. If confirmed, that would send a powerful signal to Britain's
European allies as Hammond has said he would rather leave the European Union if
Cameron can't get better membership terms.
The British leader has promised to
try to reshape Britain's EU ties if re-elected next year before giving voters
an EU membership referendum, something opinion polls show could be a close
contest.
Cameron heaped lavish praise on
Hague who is thought to have taken the decision to resign himself. Hague said he
would also be stepping down as a member of Britain's parliament next May after
26 years.
"Tonight I am standing down as
Foreign Secretary after four years to serve as Leader of the House of
Commons," Hague wrote on his official Twitter account. Hague's new role
will see him coordinating the government's business in the lower house of
Britain's parliament.
"Renewal in politics is good,
and holding office is not an end in itself," said Hague.
Cameron, who is known to count
Hague, 53, as a friend, said he wanted to pay "an enormous tribute"
to the outgoing foreign secretary, saying he would remain his de facto
political deputy and play an important role in helping Cameron contest the next
election.
Cameron, the leader of the
Conservative party, is carrying out what is expected to be a final reshuffle of
top government jobs before a national election next May and is likely to
announce a raft of new appointments on Tuesday.
Lagging the opposition Labour party
in the opinion polls by between three and seven percentage points, he is
expected to promote a raft of women to senior posts to correct a perceived
gender imbalance and to dismiss several older men.
The Labour party has repeatedly
criticised Cameron for what it says is his "women problem" - a
relative lack of females in top cabinet jobs.
Hague had been expected to stand
down as a member of parliament at the next election anyway, something he said
on Monday he'd still do. But he had been expected to continue as Britain's top
diplomat until then and his resignation came as a surprise.
Local media said Hammond would
replace Hague as Foreign Secretary though that could not be independently
confirmed.
Cameron's office said in a statement
the British leader had also accepted the resignation of seven ministers including
Kenneth Clarke, a minister without portfolio and a veteran supporter of
Britain's EU membership.
The departure of Clarke, 74, is
likely to be interpreted as a sign that Cameron is becoming more Eurosceptic
after his failure to stop Jean-Claude Juncker becoming the president of the
European Commission, the EU's executive.
Cameron's party came a humiliating
third in European elections in Britain in May and is under pressure from the
anti-EU UK Independence Party (UKIP) which won those elections.
Liam Fox, a former defence minister,
and a high-profile Eurosceptic is being tipped for a big job in Tuesday's
reshuffle in another sign that Cameron wants to show voters and parts of his
party that he is ready to take a harder line with the EU.
Cameron may also announce on Tuesday
his preferred candidate for Britain's next European Commissioner amid signs he
may nominate a woman from Britain's upper house of parliament for the important
role.
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