William Hague has stepped down as foreign secretary, paving the way for a far-reaching cabinet reshuffle on Tuesday as David Cameron moves to bring more women and younger faces into his top team

William Hague has stepped down as foreign secretary, paving the way for a far-reaching cabinet reshuffle on Tuesday as David Cameron moves to bring more women and younger faces into his top team.

Hague’s departure from the Foreign Office will trigger the first big changes at the top of the cabinet since Cameron became prime minister in 2010.

Philip Hammond, defense secretary, was expected to be named as Hague’s successor.

Hammond has struck a much tougher note on Britain’s EU membership than Hague, saying last year that he would vote for Britain to leave the bloc unless significant reforms were achieved.

Hague announced he would step down as an MP at the next election after a cabinet career that has spanned 20 years.

He made it clear to Cameron that he did not want to go to Brussels as Britain’s EU commissioner; instead he will play a political role as Leader of the House and the prime minister’s de facto deputy until the next election.