By Elisha Holt
A plan put forward by David Cameron during his time as prime minister to change constituency boundaries is likely to be blocked as the current prime minister struggles to get the backing of MPs.
Every 10 years the Boundary Commission review constituency boundaries to try and make them as representative as possible, taking into consideration growing population in particular areas.
Member of Parliament for Hull North, Diana Johnson stated this change was “suggested by David Cameron in order to try and cut the cost of politics.” Although she suggested: “It is right to review boundary changes and have equal population sizes within constituencies. It is also important to keep cities and communities together.”
The plans put forward would mean the government would lose around 50 members of parliament, with Hull and the East Yorkshire area likely to lose one MP. Johnson suggested this would likely mean changes to the Haltemprice and Howden, Brigg and Goole and Hull West boundaries.
Courtney Adams, 19, is a member of the Hull West constituency and explained how she felt about the possible boundary changes: “I think extending the Hull West boundary to include Haltemprice and Howden would not be too bad as it is still quite close, therefore problems are likely to be similar for both problems.”
She did however express concerns about the Brigg and Goole merge, suggesting: “Merging 3 constituencies into 1 seems like too big of a task, the MP would be stretched, and constituents may not get the help they need.”
Changing the number of constituencies would also change the political landscape of the country; increasing the conservative lead but potentially risking seats within the party. The changes would also see drastic change in Northern Ireland, changing the majority from the DUP – the unionist party – to Sinn Fein – a nationalist party.
Nevertheless, after the results of the June election, Theresa May’s government is now significantly weaker, meaning she would have to rely on DUP votes to ensure she can pass through new acts. Diana Johnson revealed: “Because the government doesn’t have a majority they have to rely on the DUP, however they have said they will not support it.”
As well as her struggle with the majority, Prime Minister Theresa May is said to be “bogged down” in Brexit discussions and is therefore most likely to shelf the constituency boundary changes for the foreseeable future.