UK foreign minister William Hague stepping down

British Foreign Secretary William Hague inform the media in front of Hotel Palais Coburg where closed-door nuclear talks take place in Vienna, Austria, Sunday, July 13, 2014. Foreign ministers are adding their diplomatic muscle to try and advance troubled nuclear talks with Iran, with a target date only a week away for a pact meant to curb programs Tehran could turn to making atomic arms. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak) British Foreign Secretary William Hague inform the media in front of Hotel Palais Coburg where closed-door nuclear talks take place in Vienna, Austria, Sunday, July 13, 2014. Foreign ministers are adding their diplomatic muscle to try and advance troubled nuclear talks with Iran, with a target date only a week away for a pact meant to curb programs Tehran could turn to making atomic arms. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)

By Associated Press July 14, 2014 2 min read

LONDON (AP) – Britain’s high-profile foreign minister, William Hague, is leaving his job, the government said Monday – a surprise announcement that precedes a major shakeup of the Conservative-led administration.

Prime Minister David Cameron’s office said Hague, who has been Britain’s most visible statesman on international crises in the Middle East and Ukraine, was moving to the post of leader of the House of Commons and will quit national politics next year.

Cameron said Hague would be “my de facto political deputy in the run-up to the election” in May 2015 and help lead the campaign for a Conservative majority in Parliament.

Cameron is due to announce a major Cabinet shuffle on Tuesday, but news of Hague’s departure came as a surprise to many.

Hague he would continue to work as a special envoy on ending sexual violence in conflict. Hague has been a high-profile campaigner on the subject alongside Hollywood star Angelina Jolie.