Blairite Byers says to stand down at election

LONDON (Reuters) - Former cabinet minister Stephen Byers, one of Prime Minister Gordon Brown's most outspoken critics, said on Saturday he would quit parliament at the next general election.

Byers, 56, MP for North Tyneside, and a prominent Blairite on the Labour backbenches, said he was standing down "to pursue other interests."

In a statement to his constituency he insisted that he would continue to support Labour in the months and years to come.

He has been a fierce critic of Brown's performance and party direction, openly discussing the prospect of challenges to his leadership.

On the backbenches, he was part of a small but high-profile group of Blairite ex-ministers who pushed for the government to stick to New Labour policies.

"For me this is the right moment to move on in order to pursue other interests and look to fresh challenges," he said.

"By 2010 I will have held elected positions as an MP and councillor for 30 years. That's over half my life and is a long time -- especially in modern politics."

(Reporting by Stefano Ambrogi; Editing by Charles Dick)