British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Monday that he was stepping 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.

“Tonight I am standing down as Foreign Secretary after 4 years to serve as Leader of the House of Commons,” Hague wrote on his official Twitter account.

Hague’s new role will see him coordinating the government’s business in the lower house of Britain’s parliament. Hague also announced that he is standing down as a Member of Parliament at the general election next May.

Earlier on Monday , Hague delivered a statement on the situation in Gaza to MP’s in the Lower House of Commons, and he began by condemning the murder of three Israeli teenagers and the subsequent burning alive of a Palestinian teenager in East Jerusalem.

“Despite intense efforts by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, talks between the Israelis and Palestinians broke down at the end of April and are currently paused. Since then there have been several horrific incidents, including the kidnap and murder of three Israeli teenagers. We utterly condemn these barbaric crimes. There can never be any justification for the deliberate murder of innocent civilians,” Hague told MP’s in the Commons.

Prime Minister David Cameron, the leader of the Conservative party, is carrying out what is expected to be a final reshuffle of top government jobs before a national election next May and is expected to announce a raft of new appointments on Tuesday.

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