Tim Montgomerie
Two weeks ago I wrote that the Conservative Party had, at an optimistic estimate, gained 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, TWENTY new MPs because of the passage of the Parliamentary Voting and Constituencies Bill.
The number of seats being lost in each part of the UK has now been confirmed:
- Wales 10
- NW England: 7
- Scotland: 7
- London: 5
- West Midlands: 5
- Yorkshire and Humber: 4
- NE England: 3
- Eastern England: 2
- East Midlands: 2
- Northern Ireland 2
- SE England: 2
- SW England: 2
That's a total reduction of 51.
It's clear why Labour peers fought so hard against this Bill. It means fewer Labour strongholds in the likes of Barnsley. It goes a long way to addressing the pro-Labour bias within the existing electoral geography.