Labour happy with new city boundaries

City’s constituency set to be expanded ahead of next general election

Proposed boundary for the Peterborough constituency will help Labour win the seat at the next general election, according to the party’s group leader on the city council. Cllr Mohammed Jamil believes incorporating the ward of Fletton & Woodston into the constituency will help unseat Conservative MPStewart Jackson in 2020.

Recommendations for new Parliamentary boundaries were released by the independent Boundary Commission for England on Tuesday but are now subject to three rounds of consultation before they are voted on in 2018.

Stewart Jackson won Peterborough from Labour’s Helen Clark in 2005 and was re-elected in 2010 and 2015. However, his majority at the last election was just 1,925, meaning that Peterborough will be a target seat in 2020 when the next general election is due.

Cllr Jamil said: “We have long called for Fletton and Woodston to be part of Peterborough. We think it’s a good thing. If the last election is anything to go by we think we have strong support there.”

Fletton & Woodston currently has two Conservative councillors and one Labour.

Asked his thoughts on the recommended changes, and whether it might boost his reelection chances, Mr Jackson said: “It’s early days as these are draft proposals and are subject to change and there will certainly beother options on the table.

“I’d be happy to represent to electors of Fletton and Woodston in due course but we’ll have to see what the final plans look like in 2018.”

Fletton & Woodston voters currently haveNorthWest Cambridgeshire MP Shailesh Vara as their representative at Westminster.

Undertheproposedchanges, MrVara’ssafe Conservative seat wouldalso lose the parish of Earith in Huntingdonshire.