Ann Cryer, the campaigning Labour MP who put women's rights, and especially the issue of forced marriages, at the heart of her career, has announced she will step down from parliament at the next election.Ms Cryer said she was quitting for a variety of reasons, "mainly concerning my age, health and decreasing energy levels". The 68-year-old announced her intentions at a meeting of her constituency. "For over 20 years Ann has been battling for Keighley - fighting its corner, articulating its needs, representing its best hopes," said Gordon Brown. "She knows every inch of her constituency and her understanding of its communities is second to none. "After encountering a number of forced marriages among her constituents, she mounted a brave campaign to highlight the sometimes appalling mistreatment of women forced to be brides." Ms Cryer became an MP when her husband – MP for Keighley and later Bradford South, died in a car accident in 1994. She was elected to parliament in 1997, and retained her seat in the 2001 and 2005 elections. "My campaigns on behalf of some of our most vulnerable people are coming to fruition, the Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act comes into effect in September," she said at the constituency meeting. "This Act, along with new immigration rules I have been calling for, will help many young women and to a lesser extent men to have a greater say in the conduct of their own lives. "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."
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