Boundary review triggers fight for Commons seats

4th March 2011

England will lose 31 MPs as part of plans to reduce the size of the House of Commons.

As well as the reduction in England, Wales will lose 10 MPs, Scotland will lose seven and Northern Ireland will lose two.

The reduction in the number of seats is a result of the recently passed Parliamentary Voting and Constituencies Act – a controversial piece of legislation which cuts the number of MPs from 650 to 600 and broadly equalises the number of voters in each seat.

The relative reductions in each part of the UK were decided by the four nation's independent Boundary Commissions in response to the new law.

While England will lose the greatest number of MPs, it is arguably the Welsh that have most to complain about (or celebrate) as the country loses the greatest proportion.

England's representation at Westminster will drop from 533 to 502 MPs, Wales's from 40 to 30, Scotland's from 59 to 52 and Northern Ireland's from 18 to 16.

But the government has argued that Wales is slightly overrepresented at present and the new electoral map simply redresses the balance.

It is likely that nearly all constituency boundaries will be affected in some way, and there will be many a nervous MP as they wait to learn whether they will have a constituency to defend at the next general election.

The stage is set for a game of constituency musical chairs as MPs from the same party fight each other for ownership of the reduced number of seats.

It is possible that those who miss out could be offered a chance to fight for election to a newly democratically constituted House of Lords as compensation.

The government is also expected to come forward soon with proposals on introducing a wholly or partially elected upper chamber.

Today's announcement came as Tory MP Christopher Chope told the Commons that MPs should not be outnumbered by members of the House of Lords.

Introducing his Parliament (Amendment) Bill this afternoon, Chope said that the Lords should be cut in parallel with the Commons.

"From the time of the next general election, anticipated in May 2015, there will be 600 members in this House and that reduction is being made not least to save public money.

"I see no case whatsoever for the other place having more than 600 unelected members."

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