A cut that is bound to stir controversy
THE Conservatives have long wanted to reduce the number of MPs and proposals were published yesterday which would see the number of Welsh constituencies slashed from 40 to 29 as part of an overall goal of shrinking Westminster’s headcount from 650 to 600.
Wales takes the biggest proportionate hit of any UK nation because of the parallel drive to equalise the size of constituencies. Arfon, Wales’ smallest constituency, has just 37,739 electors while there are 72,392 in the largest, Cardiff South and Penarth.
The argument in favour of having constituencies of roughly the same size is much less controversial than the plan to cut the overall number of MPs across the UK.
The argument that the cost of politics must be brought down no longer carries the same force as in the wake of the Westminster expenses scandal. The country is about to lose every one of its 73 MEPs and, critics say, if the Government is so concerned about the cost to the taxpayer it could drastically reduce the number of people in the House of Lords, which today totals around 800.
Westminster will take on more responsibility as powers are transferred from Brussels and there is unease at the suggestion that the number of MPs should be reduced, especially if there is not a corresponding cut to the ministerial payroll. Backbench MPs face a hard enough challenge as it is holding the Government to account, and this task will only get tougher if there are proportionately fewer members to serve on committees, ask awkward questions and scrutinise the decisions ministers will make in the coming months.
A fall in the number of Welsh MPs would make it easier to argue the case for increasing the size of the Assembly. Just 60 AMs sit in the Senedd despite the epic increase in their responsibilities since 1999 but it will take a brave leader to go before an austerity-weary public and argue for more politicians; that task could be a little less daunting if the message is sold that Welsh citizens are over-represented at Westminster but under-represented in the Assembly.
Nevertheless, even in the age of devolution, there is case that a small nation requires generous representation so that debates and the decision-making process are not dominated by the demands of England, which has a population nearly 18 times larger than Wales. For the good of the UK, Wales must exercise power.