Parliamentary Constituencies (Amendment) Bill

Nick Smith Excerpts

2nd reading: House of Commons
Friday 18th November 2016 Commons Chamber

[Paul Flynn]

I want to be brief, and I want to make this point, because it has not been made so far.

The Government’s proposal will make things worse. According to an analysis by the Electoral Reform Society, reducing the number of MPs will reduce the number of marginal constituencies, and will make the House less representative than it is now.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

Does my hon. Friend agree that what is really going on here is that the Executive are reducing the House’s ability to hold them to account, while at the same time creating extra peers so that they can get their own way? That cannot be right.