Belfast and lost constituencies

The Belfast Telegraph also has a story on the boundary review.

The revamp could mean — for example — that Belfast will be represented by two MPs rather than the current four, with south and east, and north and west constituencies in the city being amalgamated.

Very little factual basis for this claim, Sunderland and Leicester both have roughly the same population (although Belfast has a much larger urban area) and are both three seat cities. It would seem highly unlikely that Belfast would drop below that level.

Of somewhat more importance is the knock on effect on the Northern Ireland Assembly. The reduction in MLAs will amount to twelve, dropping the Assembly to 96 members. Crucially however it will do so not by reducing the number of members elected per constituency, which would, as the prevalence of small constituencies in the Republic showed last week, be likely to be detrimental to proportionality.

Mick has already got a post up, so I’ve closed the comments here.