Plan to cut number of MPs ‘rides roughshood over our democracy’
ACONTROVERSIAL plan to redraw the electoral map so the number of MPs representing Wales is slashed from 40 to 29 has been described as “highly unlikely” to become reality.
Boundary commissions across the UK have published final recommendations to equalise the size of constituencies and cut the total number of MPs from 650 to 600 with Wales seeing the biggest proportionate hit.
However, there are strong concerns about the geographic size of the new constituencies and opposition to reducing the number of backbench MPs just as the UK is about to leave the European Union.
It is reported that the UK Government may not put the changes to a vote amid concerns that it would intensify Brexiteer anger if the new boundaries make it harder for prominent campaigners to win re-election.
Sir Bernard Jenkin, a leading eurosceptic and chairman of the influential Public Administration Select Committee said: “The Government turned down my Select Committee’s January recommendation to equalise constituencies at 650. Now time is probably too short for a new review, and it seems highly unlikely that this review at 600 seats will be approved by the Commons.”
Some of the strongest opposition in Wales has come from Conservative MP Glyn Davies, who represents the historic Montgomeryshire constituency.
He said the plan “carves up Montgomeryshire into small bits added on to neighbouring constituencies – destroying centuries of history and fundamentally undermining democracy in central Wales”.
Mr Davies added it was “the cut from 650 MPs to 600 MPs which does the damage, stating: “The argument that cutting the number of MPs ‘cuts the cost of politics’ is a good PR line, but utter nonsense, when the membership of the House of Lords is around 800. And at the same time, our MEPs are being abolished altogether.”
Fifteen constituencies would be “wholly contained within a new constituency”. These are: Alyn and Deeside, Blaenau Gwent, Brecon and Radnorshire, Bridgend, Cardiff West, Ceredigion, Cynon Valley, Dwyfor Meirionnydd, Llanelli, Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, Neath, Rhondda, Torfaen, Wrexham and Ynys Môn.
Aberavon Labour MP Stephen Kinnock said the loss of the UK’s 73 MEPs would result in both “a significant saving” and “a vastly increased workload for Westminster”.
He condemned the plan to cut the number of MPs to 600 as “utterly random and arbitrary”, warning: “You’d end up with a skewed parliament with relatively far fewer backbenchers to hold the Government to account, so once again you end up with this kind of emasculation of Parliament. I think that’s very dangerous...
“It’s a dog’s dinner, the whole thing. It rides roughshod over the old links and ties of our communities and our history and our culture; it rides roughshod over our democracy and over the role of Parliament... “It’s a bare-faced gerrymander.” Former Welsh Secretary and Clwyd West Conservative MP David Jones also saw the scope for trouble in Parliament.
He said: “Clearly, as I understand it the Labour party don’t intend to support it and, that being the case, all it requires is a small rebellion of Conservatives to cause huge problems...
“I think that there is no doubt that the boundaries are obsolete and they do need shaking up. I think in Wales, clearly, there’s a strong argument for saying there is over-representation given the advent of devolution.
“But of course there is another point, and that is with the repatriation of powers from the European Union there will be more work for Members of Parliament to do...
“If you’re losing all those MEPs and you’re at the same time having more work that will have to be done at Westminster-level, there’s a strong argument for saying, ‘Well, we need the same number of MPs and the cost of politics to the British taxpayer is not going to be any more because of course we’re losing this swathe of Members of the European Parliament.’”
He noted that the Government “has a lot on its plate with Brexit,” adding: “It’s got a number of obviously disgruntled Members of Parliament on both sides of the debate and to add to their unhappiness by telling them that their constituencies are about to disappear into the ether I think is probably going to cause further problems.”
Opposition has also come from the Electoral Reform Society.
Chief executive Darren Hughes said: “Cutting the number of MPs with Brexit around the corner would be like a company laying off its staff having just secured a major new contract. Backbench scrutiny will be needed more than ever after we leave, making this cut hugely irresponsible.
“If the cut in the size of Parliament is not matched by a cut in the size of the government, these changes would amount to an executive power grab, with the highest ever proportion of MPs duty-bound to vote with the government.”
A Plaid Cymru spokesman said: “Following the Brexit power grab, it is yet another example of Welsh democracy being undermined by Westminster.”
Cardiff South and Penarth Labour MP Stephen Doughty raised concerns about the data used to redraw the constituencies.
He said: “It would be completely undemocratic to slash the voice of Wales in Parliament based on hugely out of date electorate numbers and the under-representation of some people like young people, students and the BAME community. Cardiff is one of the fastest growing cities in the UK and these proposals are hugely out of date before they have even been published.”