British Foreign Minister William Hague has stepped down from his post as the country's top diplomat after four years in the job in an unexpected move prompted by a government reshuffle.

He will now serve as the Leader of the House of Commons. 

Mr Hague said: "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.

"Accordingly I am stepping aside as Foreign Secretary, in order to focus all my efforts on supporting the Government in Parliament and gaining a Conservative victory in the general election - after four years in which we have transformed Britain's links with emerging economies, significantly expanded our diplomatic network and the promotion of British exports, restored the Foreign Office as a strong institution, and set a course to a reformed European Union and a referendum on our membership of it.

"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 front-line politics as I began - speaking in Parliament and campaigning among the voters."

Hague's resignation came as Prime Minister David Cameron carried out a reshuffle of top cabinet jobs -- before a national election next May.

Local media is predicting that Hague will be replaced by the current Defence Minister, Philip Hammond.

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