The British Government has announced that its Foreign Secretary, William Hague, is to stand down but will stay in the Cabinet as Leader of the Commons.
Mr Hague is to leave Parliament at the 2015 general election after 26 years as MP for Richmond, Yorkshire.
As part of a significant ministerial reshuffle, veteran Conservative MP Ken Clarke has also stepped down.
Mr Clarke, who first became an MP in 1970, attended cabinet as minister without portfolio.
He had held a number of top cabinet positions under Margaret Thatcher and John Major, including home secretary and chancellor of the exchequer.
In other moves, David Jones has been sacked as Welsh Secretary, having been in the cabinet post for two years.
