Changing boundaries

After securing the biggest Commons majority since Tony Blair in 2001, it might seem somewhat hubristic of the Government to start tinkering with the electoral system. Yet in a letter to The Sunday Telegraph, a group of senior Tories proposed just that. They urged the Prime Minister to press ahead as a matter of urgency with changes to parliamentary boundaries that have been pending for years.

This is, indeed, unfinished democratic business. An analysis of the election results suggests the Conservatives would have a 104-seat majority, not 80, had the contest been fought on boundaries more accurately reflecting the balance of population across the country.

The Coalition government proposed reducing the House of Commons from 650 seats to 600 and the Tory election manifesto promised to “update and equal Parliamentary boundaries” to ensure that “every vote counts the same”. However, this was not included in the Queen’s Speech last week.

Arguably, new legislation is not necessary since the revised boundaries are already drawn up and ready to go. They were published only last year, so there will be no need for another lengthy review. Only a vote of the Commons is required to trigger the process – though that means, of course, that many MPS would be asked to endorse the abolition of their own seats. Self-interest is often the biggest obstacle to electoral reform.

In their letter, the MPS said: “It is essential for the health and credibility of Britain’s democracy that the current unfairly skewed system is put right, and equal-sized constituencies where everyone’s vote weighs the same are created immediately.”

We concur. Mr Johnson should heed the advice of his colleagues and take this measure forward now since it becomes much more difficult to make boundary changes closer to an election.