Jeremy Corbyn has been Labour leader for exactly a year and, as it turns out, a lot can change in 365 days.
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Corbyn’s seat of Islington North could be merged with those of Emily Thornberry in Islington South and Diane Abbott in Hackney North and Stoke Newington, but the process will create just two new seats.
Controversial British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn turned down an invitation from the Labor Party in Israel to visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, a British newspaper reported.
If agreed by Parliament the new boundaries would be in place by the 2020 general election.
The initial proposals from the Boundary Commission are aimed at reducing the number of Westminster seats from 650 to 600.
In a private speech to union leaders, the Labour leader said education policy was now the starkest dividing line between his party and the Tories.
Proposed changes to the boundaries in Northern Ireland have already been published.
Labour shadow minister Jon Ashworth described the changes as “unfair, undemocratic and unacceptable”, adding: “They are based on an out-of-date version of the electoral register with almost two million voters missing”.
Labour say he’s fallen foul of a rule which bans “abuse of any kind”.
Attacking the leader’s performance in the Commons, Mr Smith referred to Mr Corbyn’s failure to mention Iain Duncan Smith’s resignation and his reluctance to challenge the Prime Minister over Brexit.
A string of Tory MPs have vowed to fight the plans and some are urging No.10 to hold a general election next spring on the current boundaries, believing that Corbyn and Labour are so far behind in the polls that they could win a big Tory majority.
The Electoral Reform Society criticized the plans, saying they were based on out-of-date electoral data that missed out many voters who registered for this year’s Brexit referendum.
“Colleagues are shocked, there are a number of outcomes not expected”. If people think it is about deselecting MPs, they are going to be in for a shock.
The Batley & Spen constituency of Labour’s Jo Cox, who died in June after being shot and stabbed, will disappear, to be replaced by two new seats: Batley & Morley, and Spen.
The Liberal Democrats said they were “confident” of retaining their eight seats under the new boundaries, but criticised the review.
The constituencies earmarked for extinction will be absorbed by their neighbours to save £66m over five years, as well as giving equal weight to each seat.
Constitution Minister Chris Skidmore explained the changes in a Daily Telegraph column today.
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But secretary for the Boundary Commission in England Sam Hartley said the number of constituents for each seat on the United Kingdom mainland ranged from about 55,000 to 90-95,000 and the review was an attempt to standardise that.
