Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey SNP MP Drew Hendry criticises government plan to redraw constituency boundaries
Inverness MP Drew Hendry has criticised the UK government’s proposed Parliamentary Constituencies Bill.
He said it shows a lack of understanding for areas like the Highlands and could be based on out-of-date information.
The move, which would define constituencies on the number of voters, still has a number of stages to pass before it can become law.
“While the decision to retain 650 MPs is welcome, the government’s proposals to base new UK Parliament constituencies on electoral number quotas still show a complete lack of understanding of the Highland region, our communities and our landscape," Mr Hendry said.
“These population quotas – which take no account of geographical spread – would mean that areas like the Highlands which are densely populated will have reduced representation in the UK parliament.
“The UK government is also proposing using electoral numbers from the end of 2020 but the commission will not be deciding on these new constituencies until 2023, with subsequent reviews then to take place every eight years.
“This proposal takes no account of fast-growing cities like Inverness.
“The government needs to seriously look again at how it intends to capture trends in population growth – if not the numbers just won’t stack up.”
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