CHANGES which will see Scotland have fewer representatives at Westminster and most constituency boundaries altered have been branded "outrageous".
Under the Boundary Commission for Scotland’s latest proposals, which will be put out for consultation over the next four weeks, Scotland will lose two MPs and Wales will see a decrease of eight, while England will pick up 10.
Scotland will have 57 MPs, rather than 59. Some 35 constituencies will see their boundaries changed, with 20 of those also seeing their names altered.
Dave Doogan (below), the SNP MP for Angus, has issued a furious response to the commission’s proposed changes to his area – which would effectively see it erased from the political map.
Angus would now be split into two seats – North Tayside and Dundee East and Arbroath – and most of the area’s coastline would be taken into another constituency.
Doogan said: “These proposals to erase the historic county of Angus are a disgrace and Angus constituents have made this clear in the consultation as I have myself.”
The MP, who was elected in 2019, said there is a “unique sense of identity” within the borders of Angus.
“Scone and Montrose are both fine places,” he went on. “But they share absolutely nothing with one looking next door to Perth and the other sharing much with communities in both Angus and Aberdeenshire.
“Angus is not a bucket of voters to be sloshed around by the commission to other constituencies where the numbers don’t add up.
“This suggestion of dismembering parts of Angus and stitching them together with Highland Perthshire in the West, and Dundee City in the South, shows an abject failure by the commission to abide by their own criteria of respecting established natural and community boundaries.”
Doogan concluded that the “outrageous” proposals show a “complete disregard” for the area and urged all of his constituents to make their views known as part of the consultation.
In Glasgow City, Inverclyde and Renfrewshire council areas, where there are currently 10 constituencies, it is expected that one will be lost.
Across Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Argyll and Bute, Highland, and Moray council areas there are also 10 seats, which the commission believes should be reduced to nine.
Under previous constultations, it was proposed that Moray should be split between three seats. The latest report now suggests separating it into two.
The consultation will run until December 5, and readers can respond here.
Lord Matthews, the deputy chair of Scotland’s Boundary Commission, said the independent body had been grateful for the responses received during the previous consultations.
He went on: “We have considered all representations very carefully and, where possible, have tried to respond positively to suggestions. The legislative requirements of the review do mean we are not always able to incorporate alternatives and sometimes of course we receive conflicting views or suggestions with unintended consequences for other parts of Scotland.
“We very much look forward to receiving views on the revised proposals after which we will finalise our proposals before submitting them to the Speaker of the House of Commons by July 1 next year.”
Across the UK, if the Boundary Commission’s vision is realised, there will still be 650 constituencies overall.
The Boundary Commissions for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are duty bound to submit a report on proposals for changes before the summer of 2023.
According to the rules set by Westminster legislation, every constituency must have at least 69,724 electors, and no more than 77,062 – besides the protected constituencies of Na h-Eileanan an Iar, and Orkney and Shetland.
It has been 17 years since the last changes to Westminster constituencies. Prior to the 2005 change, there were 72 seats in Scotland.
