SNP Westminster chief faces losing job as seats are cut

THE SNP’s Westminster leader is among a series of high-profile MPs facing a battle for their jobs under plans to redraw Britain’s political map.

Ian Blackford’s seat will be merged with the neighbouring constituency of party colleague Drew Hendry, meaning they could face a selection battle ahead of the next general election.

Controversial final proposals to slash the number of MPs across the UK from 650 to 600 were published by the Boundary Commission yesterday.

The review will cut the number of Scottish seats from 59 to 53 – with the SNP and Labour leading condemnation of the proposals last night.

South of the Border, Jeremy Corbyn’s seat will also be abolished, as well as that of former Brexit Secretary David Davis.

Conservative party chiefs are set to hand out a raft of peerages in a desperate attempt to avoid a mutiny over plans to cut the number of MPs.

The Tories have promised MPs who face losing their seats that ‘no colleague will be left behind’, suggesting they will either be given the seat of a retiring MP or be elevated to the Lords.

Under the proposed shake-up of constituency boundaries unveiled yesterday, the Conservatives would have won a majority at the last election.

But MPs whose seats will be abolished include Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey and former Cabinet ministers Priti Patel and Kenneth Clarke.

The proposed reforms last night sparked claims that Scotland’s voice at Westminster will be ‘diminished’. Mr Blackford, MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber, will be under threat as a result of the number of Highland seats reducing from three to two.

His seat will largely be merged with that of SNP business spokesman Mr Hendry in Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey to form the new Highland Central constituency.

Only three Scottish constituencies will remain unchanged – Western Isles and Orkney and Shetland, which are protected in law, and East Lothian.

Nationalist MP Tommy Sheppard said: ‘These proposed plans would see Scotland’s representation at Westminster slashed by more than 10 per cent, with Scottish MP voices further diminished in a Parliament that looks increasing like it’s set up to work against those protecting Scotland’s interests.

‘For the mainland Highlands – which has a geographic area one and a half times the size of Wales – to be cut down to just two constituencies, as this report recommends, is ludicrous.

‘There is no appetite for these changes at present, and I am confident that these proposals won’t see the light of day.’

Nationalist MPs Hannah Bardell and Joanna Cherry will see their Livingston and Edinburgh South West constituencies largely merged into the new Livingston and Edinburgh Pentland seat.

Critics last night warned against moves by the Conservative Party to offer MPs peerages in order to persuade them to vacate their seats. Darren Hughes, chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society, said: ‘Cutting the number of elected MPs while continuing to pack the unelected House of Lords with party cronies is an insult to democracy.

‘It would be nonsensical to remove MPs from their scrutinising role in the House of Commons only to cram them into the already bloated House of Lords – effectively handing MPs a vote on our laws for life.

‘Instead of stuffing Parliament’s private members’ club with more peers, the Government should think again and scrap this ill-advised cut in backbenchers.’

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said last night: ‘These reforms will ensure there is fair and equal representation for voters across the UK at the next general election.

‘Also, they have been drawn up by an independent boundary commission, and that follows extensive consultation.’

Comment – Page 14

‘No appetite for these changes’

JUST when you thought the rat-biting loons at Westminster couldn’t get any more twitchy, the Boundary Commission published its final recommendations for altering and in some cases scrapping certain constituencies.

Behind the scenes this was the main focus for many Members yesterday, as they nervously inspected the commission’s proposed new map of political Britain.

Would their seat be merged with another? Would it be polluted by unhelpful new wards from neighbouring seats that might therefore make the seat more marginal?

Change, change, dratted change. It may be part of political life that MPs are supposed to welcome change. Isn’t that what their spin doctors are always telling them? But spin doctors are on a consultancy wage and don’t have to put themselves at the mercy of the unwashed electorate. In truth few backbenchers like change. They want a life of comfort and certitude, be it in Opposition or on the Government benches.

Look at the revulsion with which most MPs have greeted the revolutionary potential of Brexit. They have reacted like children being offered a new dish for supper. Yuck. What is it? Never tried it. Don’t like it. and look at how they already saw off the boundary changes once (when Nicholas Clegg reneged on an agreement with David Cameron) and how they have been putting it on the long finger ever since. They might well try to vote it down again.

‘Order order!’ called Speaker Bercow as the Commons day began. It’s all right for Bercow. He is not likely to seek re-election, for once he has ended his time in the Chair (soon, please) he will probably be shoved up to the Lords. For what it is worth, his Buckingham seat will be merged with Milton Keynes West. It should be solid Tory.

The boundary changes are needed to make constituency sizes more equal. at present, seats vary wildly in population size – something that obviously needs to be rectified if we are all to have roughly the same electoral clout as our fellow subjects. The boundary changes are also needed to fulfill the Government’s long-standing manifesto promise, popular with the public (though not MPs), to reduce the number of MPs from 650 to 600. That would save many million pounds and might even lead to an improvement in the quality of our parliamentarians.

Westminster’s day had opened with news that Guto Bebb, wet-as-awhelk Tory MP for aberconwy and briefly a defence minister, had come out with a call for a second EU referendum. Mr Bebb is a fan of Brussels.

Yet his constituents were keen Leavers. The aberconwy seat will disappear in the proposed boundary changes and Mr Bebb could well lose his parliamentary career. Was it that prospect of oblivion that turned him maverick and caused his volteface on a second referendum? Decent Vernon Coaker (Lab, Gedling) contributed to an Education Questions discussion. Gedling is going to disappear in the boundary changes and the seat will become part of Nottingham East & Carlton. Nottingham East already has a Labour MP, Chris Leslie. Will veteran Vern stand against Blairite Leslie? Or might Momentum swoop and insert a Corbynite Comrade?

Such are the peppery uncertainties created by these boundary changes.

WEra Hobhouse (Lib Dem, Bath) had something to say about school buildings. Her seat, long a Tory-Lib Dem marginal, is going to expand in the boundary changes and incorporate rural Summerzet wards currently represented by Eurosceptic Jacob rees-Mogg. What will those yokel voters make of mwaw-mwaw cosmopolitan Ms Hobhouse?

Into the Chamber bowled Emily Thornberry, head buried in her mobile telephone. She looked to be deep in study of some document. Islington currently has two seats, one hers, the other held by a certain J. Corbyn. In future there will just be one Islington MP. a party leader surely has droit du seigneur. Might Emily be asked to do the decent thing? You wouldn’t want to be the Labour official who had to ask her.

Pass the tin helmet, Willoughby.