Keighley's MP Ann Cryer has confirmed she will not be standing at the next general election.

Mrs Cryer who will be 69 later this year met party officials last night to break the news to them.

The reason she gave were her age, health and decreasing energy levels.

She said: "I would like to thank the people of my constituency, who it has been an absolute privilege to represent for the last 11 years in Parliament.

"Of course none of us are aware of when the next election will be called, but my work and that of my office will continue on behalf of constituents until then.

"I will also be doing all I can to help promote whoever is selected as Labour's Parliamentary Candidate for the next election, illustrating the difference Labour has made for the Keighley constituency to ensure it continues to have a Labour MP after the next election."

Prime Minister Gordon Brown described Mrs Cryer as a distinguished servant of the people of Keighley for many years.

It is known that Mrs Cryer, who became an MP in 1997 has recently had a number of minor health problems. But she had made in clear that if a snap election had been called a few months ago she would stand.

Mrs Cryer won the seat for Labour at the same time as her son John Cryer was also elected Labour MP for Hornchurch the same evening.

Recently Mrs Cryer has won praise from colleagues for her determination to stand up for the rights of women forced into marriage - ending in a law coming into force later this year which will give victims and third parties the right to seek an injunction to prevent a forced marriage.

Mrs Cryer was already steeped in politics when she met Bob Cryer at a Labour Party Conference in Blackpool.

A couple of years later they were married. Their two children John and Jane were born and the family moved to Oakworth in Keighley in 1965.

Bob was selected as Labour candidate for Keighley and won the seat in the two General elections of 1974.

He held on to the seat in 1979 with just a 74 vote majority, but lost it in 1983 following boundary changes.

Bob returned to the House in 1987 as MP for Bradford South.

He was killed in a car accident in 1994.

Mrs Cryer lost her second husband, the Reverend John Hammersley, to cancer in November 2004. Their plans to marry in 2001 were postponed when John was first diagnosed with cancer, but they finally married in 2003.