FORMER Labour Cabinet minister Ann Taylor is quitting Parliament.

The veteran - first elected in 1974 - will give up her Dewsbury seat at the next General Election.

Mrs Taylor, 56, said she wanted to spend more time with her family.

She admitted: "It has been an agonising decision and I have changed my mind several times over."

Her decision comes just a few weeks after Wakefield MP David Hinchliffe revealed he was standing down.

Mrs Taylor was elected as MP for Bolton West in 1974 at the age of 26, but lost her seat in 1983.

She came back to the Commons in 1987 when she was elected in Dewsbury.

Her majority in 2001 was 7,449.

Mrs Taylor said her constituency party had asked her to stay but she had decided against it.

The MP said: "Having been elected at an early age, I think it's probably right that I step down at a relatively early age."

Mrs Taylor joined the shadow Cabinet in 1992 and was the first female Leader of the House when Labour came to power in 1997. In 1998, she became the first female Chief Whip, but was sacked from the Cabinet in 2001.

She was rewarded just weeks later with the chairmanship of the intelligence and security committee.

She and her husband David, a former Kirklees councillor for Holme Valley South, have two children, Andrew and Isabelle, both at university.

Scottish-born Mrs Taylor has always remained loyal to her favourite football team - Motherwell.

She said her greatest achievement was helping to modernise the early years education system.

Tories came second to Mrs Taylor in the constituency poll at the 2001 General Election.