A right-wing immigration pressure group is using a campaign by Keighley MP Ann Cryer to back its call for a clampdown on marrying overseas spouses.

The group Migrationwatch has called for a fundamental review of the Government's policy on allowing spouses and fiances into the UK, claiming too many immigrants are coming into the country to marry.

Launching its campaign for a review today, the group quotes Mrs Cryer's known support for controls to protect Asian women from forced marriages to back its claims.

Migrationwatch also claims paragraphs were removed from the Ousley report into racial tension in Bradford to back its statement.

Mrs Cryer said today that she was unhappy the group was using her comments to bolster its campaign.

"I would prefer not to be associated with a group that is totally anti-immigration.

"My line is for managed immigration - that immigration is not used to get round the regulations.

"And I'm angry that Asian girls' human rights are being abused. I am at the sharp end of the situation and dealing with the results - that group is remote," she said.

But she admitted having sympathy with some of the recommendations. The group wants to see the age limit for marriage to an overseas spouse raised to 24.

It is also insisting permanent residence should only be granted after at least seven years.

And people in arranged marriages which end in divorce, should not be able to sponsor the immigration of further marriage partners.

Mrs Cryer wants to see the age limit for sponsorship lifted from 18 to 21. And she is in favour of people having to become British Citizens, which would mean they would have to be in the country five years before they could sponsor a fiance or a spouse.

Migrationwatch claims the number of immigrants coming to Britain to marry had more than doubled between 1996 and 2001 to 22,000 a year.

However the group's stance was criticised as an "attack" on immigrants.

Chief executive of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, Habib Rahman, said: "Asian people will be appalled at Migrationwatch's attack on them.

"Asian people are here because they share British commitment to liberal democratic values and a free market.

"Given the importance of religious faith to many Asian persons and the limited demographic pool of them in the UK it is only natural that some of them will look to family and friends in Asia to expand their pool of potential partners."