Brown: seat to go

Labour MPs north of the border are steeling themselves for a mad scramble to save their careers as the Scottish Boundary Commission prepares to publish a new constituency map which will see the number of MPs being reduced from 72 to 58.

The reduction in the number of Scots MPs, which will come into effect before the next general election, is likely to result in Gordon Brown and Dr John Reid seeing their constituencies disappearing.

The boundary review comes as the government seeks to bring the number of voters in Scottish constituencies into line with the rest of the UK.

Currently Scottish seats have an average of 55,000 voters - in comparison to the 70,000 voters in the average seat in England and Wales.

Whilst senior MPs can expect to find a new home in a neighbouring constituency, older MPs and those recently elected to parliament are set to come under intense pressure to stand aside.

Brown, whose Dunfermline East seat will go, is likely to make a strong play for the adjoining constituency of the Labour MP Rachel Squire.

In Glasgow, where the number of constituencies is to be reduced from 10 to seven, the seat of the outspoken Labour MP George Galloway is also at risk.

The scramble for seats is likely to result in a considerable amount of bloodletting within the ranks of Scottish Labour - which is still reeling from the resignation of the first minister Henry McLeish.

It is understood that the chancellor had pressed his cabinet colleagues to delay the cull - but was over-ruled by ministers who feared that any attempt to delay the reduction would be seen as politically motivated.

The government is currently engaged in a consultation over the size of the Scottish parliament - which under current legislation will have to follow suit and reduce in size in line with the reduction at Westminster.