Francis became a legislator after he won the Roseau South constituency defeating former government minister Ambrose George, in the 2014 general election, but was stripped of the position of deputy leader in 2016 at a party delegates’ conference.

His removal came amidst widespread rumours of disunity within the party that at first had been denied by both Francis and the party’s leader, Lennox Linton.

In his resignation letter, Francis said while he would not be contesting the next general election, he would stay in Parliament until his current term ends.

“I release profound gratitude to the United Workers Party -Team Dominica- for accepting me within its family and I am grateful for the experience which I gathered in the political community,” Francis wrote, adding “as you are fully aware, my political journey has been very turbulent and in the process, I encountered unexpected results which are deep and require my full attention”.

Francis said that he has decided to withdraw from the “political space to cure some issues, and as such it would be in the best interest of the United Workers Party -Team Dominica- to identify and work with a potential candidate for the next general election.

“Please be guided accordingly, nonetheless, that I will complete the full term as a Parliamentarian as I vowed to serve the Roseau South Constituency for a full term and will not disregard the social and moral contract with my constituents,” he wrote.

In the 2014 general election, the ruling Dominica Labour Party (DLP) won 15 of the 21 seats with the remainder going to the UWP.