Labour has signalled its intent to vigorously oppose planned changes to parliamentary boundaries, saying the shakeup is politically motivated and aimed at hurting the party at the next general election.



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Labour is worst hit by the initial proposals, which are part of an effort to cut the number of MPs in the House of Commons from 650 to 600.

The process could also trigger a battle in which supporters of the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, seek to purge MPs who oppose him.

Plans for new constituencies in England and Wales, announced on Tuesday, show Corbyn, George Osborne and Boris Johnson are among high-profile politicians who will have their seats redrawn.

Other MPs affected include Yvette Cooper, Tristram Hunt and Owen Smith. Labour could lose 23 seats under the revamp, according to analysts.

Jon Ashworth, the shadow Cabinet Office minister leading the process for Labour, said the party was convinced the proposals were motivated by party politics.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Jeremy Corbyn, Boris Johnson and George Osborne are among the high-profile MPs who could be affected by changing constituency boundaries. Photograph: The Guardian

“This proposal is certainly about disadvantaging the Labour party in the next general election,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “That’s why they’ve gone from 650 seats to 600 – by the way, at the same time stuffing the House of Lords with 260 unelected lords at a cost of £30m, but they don’t tell us about that.”

The boundary commissions for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have been tasked with trying to balance the number of registered voters in each new seat. But Ashworth asked why they were told to do so using electoral data from December 2015, before an estimated 2 million new voters signed up before the Brexit referendum.

It is a brutal mathematical strategy and a barefaced gerrymander Stephen Kinnock, Labour MP

“If the question is ‘should the constituencies be of equal numbers?’ then we are in favour of the principle of more equal constituencies,” he said. “But what this is doing is proceeding with a boundary review when there’s 2 million people missing from the electoral register. The effect of not using that register is to deny the voice of 2 million people.”

The Boundary Commission for England has insisted there is no political intent behind the proposed changes. “We don’t take into account any effect on the political ramifications of our proposals,” Sam Hartley, secretary to the commission, told Today. “We are not the government and we are not parliament. Our role is to make sure we take an independent view on the boundary proposals.”

Hartley stressed that three rounds of consultation on the plans could lead to significant amendments before the new seats are finalised.

“The boundary commission is very, very good at listening what people have to say,” he said. “In the last review, at the same time, we changed nearly two-thirds of the constituencies from the initial proposal stage to the revised proposals during the process. We are open, and we are listening to what people say.”

Adding to the difficulties for Labour, a member of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) has raised the idea of using the shakeup to remove MPs who have not shown loyalty to Corbyn.

Darren Williams, a Cardiff councillor and Corbyn supporter who was elected to the NEC in July, told Today: “Redrawing the boundaries does present an opportunity for the selection of the some new candidates who may be more in tune with the views of ordinary party members.”

He added: “I think where MPs have consistently demonstrated their disloyalty to the party leader and to the views on which he was elected, then I think party members are within their rights to ask whether those MPs should continue to represent them.”

Wayne David, the Labour MP for Caerphilly, said such an approach could cause chaos in the party. “I’d be extremely concerned if Jeremy Corbyn’s allies in Momentum took the opportunity of this gerrymandered boundary review to try to purge Labour MPs,” he told the BBC. “If the NEC decides to reopen this matter, then I think it’s a recipe for civil war inside the party.”

But Ashworth dismissed this, saying the party had very clear rules for allowing MPs whose old constituency takes in a certain proportion of a new seat to automatically go forward for selection. “Darren Williams is a new member of the NEC,” Ashworth said. “I’m sure people in Jeremy’s office will be tearing their hair out at that contribution. That is not the position of Jeremy or his people. We’ve got a very clear process for dealing with these boundary changes.”

A Labour source said MPs who opposed Corbyn were not immediately panicked at the idea they might be deselected. “Some are slightly concerned,” the source said. “They are waiting to see what Jeremy’s approach to all this is, whether he decides to reconcile or not. But the main priority is to block the changes.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Labour MPs Gloria De Piero and Jon Ashworth campaign in the Bloxwich East ward in Walsall, West Midlands. Photograph: Andrew Fox/The Observer

The shake-up will not only affect Labour. Despite giving the Tories an overall electoral boost, the plans could create a headache for Theresa May as up to 17 of her MPs would lose their current constituencies – the same number as the party’s working majority.

Osborne, the former chancellor, would have his Tatton constituency broken up; while cabinet ministers Priti Patel, Justine Greening and David Davis are also likely to be affected. Patel could potentially be parachuted into another Essex seat vacated by a retiring colleague.

Johnson, the foreign secretary, would have to contest a new constituency in west London with more wards that have voted Labour, although his popularity is likely to mean he wins again.

Corbyn would be affected by the loss of his Islington North constituency, but would be unlikely to face difficulty being selected for the reshaped seat. His aides said he would be able to contest a new Finsbury Park and Stoke Newington seat, although that could have a knock-on effect for his close ally Diane Abbott. “I’m very confident of the constituency changes that are suggested. But I have to say they are a long way off,” he said.

Labour is also worried about Wales, where every seat has been changed. Stephen Kinnock, who represents Aberavon, said the Welsh commission had divided his high street from the main shopping centre, and the Port Talbot steelworks from where its workers lived, in an “absurd” decision. “It is a brutal mathematical strategy and a barefaced gerrymander,” he said.



Some Labour MPs have also expressed concern that the boundaries are based on registered voter numbers, not actual populations. In some seats, particularly inner-city or student-heavy ones, this can bring big disparities.

Karen Buck, the Labour MP for Kensington North, commissioned research showing the number of electors in her constituency is 39% less than the actual population, a pattern reflected elsewhere.

“In parts of London and Birmingham, including my own constituency, the adult population is at least a third higher than the number registered to vote,” she said. “In other places, there is little or no variance. Yet MPs have to represent everyone living in their constituency. The rigidity of the new boundaries ignores that reality, and entrenches unfairness in the system.”

The Conservatives claim the changes will address a historic imbalance that favoured Labour unfairly. Chris Skidmore, minister for the constitution, said: “Equalising the size of constituencies in the boundary review will mean everyone’s vote will carry equal weight. Without such boundary reforms, MPs could end up representing constituencies based on data that is over 20 years old, disregarding significant changes in demographics, house building and migration. As it stands, some constituencies have twice as many electors than other constituencies and this cannot be right.”

The Conservative chair and MP Patrick McLoughlin said his party would have a “no colleague left behind” policy under which MPs would be given the opportunity to stand in new seats.



