Cameron’s good example

David Cameron’s departure from the House of Commons brings to an end the saga of a politician who leaves behind an unfortunate legacy: the man who may have accidentally caused Britain to leave the EU. The Brexit vote in the June 23 referendum Mr Cameron called will forever overshadow every other facet of his premiership lasting two successive terms, itself a remarkable achievement. Mr Cameron did the decent thing in halting his political career amid differences with his successor Theresa May over new grammar schools that may have led to a row within the ruling Tories, or he may have faced the danger of being reduced to an Edward Heath-like sulking existence after Margaret Thatcher’s rise. Many British PMs have stayed on at Westminster after quitting, voluntarily or otherwise, though not Tony Blair, who resigned as an MP the same day.

Mr Cameron’s decision to leave soon after admitting his Brexit failure has lessons for leaders in other democracies. A former PM who remains in the House invariably becomes an inconsequential backbencher. In India, we’ve seen ex-PMs like H.D. Deve Gowda staying till the end of their terms, but party soon became politically irrelevant nationally after his short rule. Even Manmohan Singh’s role in just two years after his exit is little more than of a Rajya Sabha backbencher, but then his party is not in power any more, and he doesn’t face Mr Cameron’s embarrassment. What Mr Blair and Mr Cameron have shown is that it’s futile not to move out, and leave their parties to carry on with younger leaders.