Stormont agriculture minister Mrs Brid Rodgers is to stand down from the Northern Ireland Assembly at the next election, she announced today.
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Stormont agriculture minister Mrs Brid Rodgers
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The SDLP deputy leader said she would not be seeking her party's nomination to run for the Assembly next May in her Upper Bann constituency. She said her decision was "for family reasons".
Mrs Rodgers, who received acclaim for her handling of the foot-and-mouth crisis, said she was certain that the SDLP would still do well in Upper Bann without her.
She said: "While not being a candidate myself, I will play my full role as deputy leader of the party within Upper Bann and throughout the other constituencies to ensure a large turnout of SDLP support and the return of a strong SDLP team to the next assembly".
PA