David Cameron

Mr Cameron, 49, who resigned as prime minister after June's EU referendum, said he did not want to be a "distraction" for new PM Theresa May

He said Mrs May had "got off to a cracking start", while she praised his "great strides" on social reform.

Mr Cameron, 49, has represented Witney since 2001, becoming Conservative leader in 2005 and PM in 2010.

The then-prime minister called the German leader days before the EU referendum, as opinion polls seemed to show voters moving to the Leave camp.

But he later abandoned the idea of getting her and other EU leaders to make a statement granting concessions.

No 10 decided it could be portrayed by Vote Leave as a sign of weakness.

Newsnight has learned that Mr Cameron telephoned the German chancellor to ask whether she would be willing to issue a statement with fellow EU leaders granting the UK concessions on free movement.

The prime minister, who will go to Buckingham Palace later to tender his resignation to the Queen, told MPs he would "miss the roar of the crowd".

Defending his achievements in office, he said there had been many "amazing moments" during his six years in power.

Home Secretary Theresa May is preparing to succeed Mr Cameron later after her own audience with the Queen.

After taking office, Mrs May will set about naming her own frontbench team.

Mr Cameron will face his last Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons, before heading to Buckingham Palace to tender his resignation to the Queen.

He told the Daily Telegraph: "As I leave today, I hope that people will see a stronger country. It has been a privilege to serve the country I love."

After taking office, Mrs May will set about naming her own frontbench team.

"It might be in my party's interests for him to sit there, it's not in the national interests and I would say, for heaven's sake man, go," Mr Cameron said to Mr Corbyn in British Parliament.

Labour MPs voted against Mr Corbyn in a no-confidence motion by 172 to 40, after dozens of members of his frontbench team stepped down in recent days.

But Corbyn has refused to go.

Mr Cameron said choosing to leave the EU in Thursday's vote would be a "big mistake" and lead to "debilitating uncertainty" for up to a decade.

However Michael Gove told the Sunday Telegraph the UK could become a "progressive beacon" by leaving the EU.

The Leave campaigner urged people to "vote for democracy".

She told Parliament on Wednesday the refugees will come from camps surrounding Syria and the government is pressing hard to organize more arrivals in the coming weeks.

He told Parliament that the attack was legally justified because the militants were plotting lethal attacks against Britain and the fighters could not be eliminated any other way.

"There was a terrorist directing murder on our streets and no other means to stop them," Cameron said, adding that the decision to launch the attack hadn't been taken lightly.

The statement represents his most direct signal to date that he will seek to expand his country's role in supporting the United States and its allies.

In remarks made to NBC News' "Meet the Press," Cameron said Britain must do more fight the group, also known as ISIL. The remarks, which follow a commitment to meet NATO targets on military spending, make plain that Britain now sees the group as an explicit threat to national security.