Watch David Cameron's poignant final speech as prime minister: 'I was the future once'

David Cameron received a standing ovation in the House of Commons during his final speech as prime minister.

(Image credit: Carl Court/Getty Images)

published 13 July 2016

David Cameron's speech before parliament Wednesday — his last as Britain's prime minister — was packed with moments both poignant and funny. As Cameron, who was re-elected just last year, passed the baton off to his presumed successor, Home Secretary Theresa May, he offered words of encouragement to the next phase of leadership and expressed hope for all that politics can accomplish. "You can achieve a lot of things in politics. You can get a lot of things done," he said. "In the end, the public service, the national interest, that is what it is all about."

Cameron, who announced his resignation after the Brexit vote, ended the speech with a joke made at his own expense. "Nothing is really impossible if you put your mind to it," he said. "After all, as I once said, I was the future once." Parliament responded with laughs — and many members offered a standing ovation.

"I will miss the roar of the crowd. I will miss the barbs from the opposition," Cameron said, as his wife and three children looked on. "But I will be willing you on." Watch the bittersweet moment, below. Becca Stanek