David Cameron's final ever PMQs: 'I was the future - once'

Sky News

David Cameron said he will miss "the roar of the crowd and "barbs of the opposition" as he addressed the House of Commons as prime minister for the final ever time. 

The prime minister, who will be replaced by Home Secretary Theresa May on Wednesday evening, cracked jokes and received tributes from MPs on his final day as the Tory leader.

In his final remarks, Cameron said that "nothing is impossible when you put your mind to it" and "after all, as I once said, I was the future once."

His full final statement was as follows:

"I will watch these exchanges from the back benches. I will miss the roar of the crowd, I will miss the barbs from the opposition, but I will be willing you on. And when I say willingly you on, I don't just mean willing on the new prime minister at this despatch box, or indeed just willing on the front bench defending the manifesto that I helped put together.

"But I mean willing all of you on, because people come here with huge passion for the issues they are about. They come here with great love for the constituencies that they represent. And also willing on this place. Because, yes, we can be pretty tough and test and challenge our leaders - perhaps more than some other countries - but that is something we should be proud of and we should keep at it, and I hope you will all keep at it, and I will will you on as you do.

"The last thing I would say is that you can achieve a lot of things in politics. You can get a lot of things done. And that in the end, the public service, the national interest, that is what it is all about. Nothing is really impossible if you put your mind to it. After all, as I once said, I was the future once."

Watch Cameron make his final remarks in the clip below.

Wednesday's session of Prime Minister's Questions was one of the most light-hearted in recent memory. Even Jeremy Corbyn, who is in the midst of a bitter battle to remain as Labour leader, joined Cameron in making quips across from the dispatch box. 

On the subject of the Labour Party leadership contest, Cameron joked: "We [the Conservatives] got on with it, we have had resignations, debate, contest, and coronation -  they haven't even decided what the rules are yet."

More to follow...