header-logo header-logo

Elections: Rebalancing the map

18 June 2021 / Alec Samuels
Issue: 7937 / Categories: Features , Procedure & practice , Constitutional law , Public
printer mail-detail
51267
Making every vote count the same: Alec Samuels reports on long-overdue updates to parliamentary constituencies
  • Key changes enacted under the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 2020, which will see constituencies redefined to equalise the number of electors in each.

The law and practice of parliamentary constituencies has been reformed. This reform is long overdue. Too many elections in the 21st century have been fought on the basis of a substantial number of constituencies having had markedly more or markedly fewer electors than the norm, so that the number of voters required to win one seat is markedly different from another—giving, as it happened, a considerable advantage to Labour and the Scottish National Party (SNP) in Scotland. Psephologists estimate that under the current boundaries the Conservatives need at least a three-point opinion poll lead in order to win overall; and the current boundaries give Labour a ten-seat advantage.

Number of MPs

Initial proposals, confirmed earlier this month, will see the number of constituencies and MPs remaining at 650. Some people have argued

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Firm strengthens leveraged finance team with London partner hire

Mourant—Stephen Alexander

Mourant—Stephen Alexander

Jersey litigation lead appointed to global STEP Council

mfg Solicitors—nine trainees

mfg Solicitors—nine trainees

Firm invests in future talent with new training cohort

NEWS
The Supreme Court issued a landmark judgment in July that overturned the convictions of Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo, once poster boys of the Libor and Euribor scandal. In NLJ this week, Neil Swift of Peters & Peters considers what the ruling means for financial law enforcement
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve reports on Haynes v Thomson, the first judicial application of the Supreme Court’s For Women Scotland ruling in a discrimination claim, in this week's NLJ
Small law firms want to embrace technology but feel lost in a maze of jargon, costs and compliance fears, writes Aisling O’Connell of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in this week's NLJ
Bea Rossetto of the National Pro Bono Centre makes the case for ‘General Practice Pro Bono’—using core legal skills to deliver life-changing support, without the need for niche expertise—in this week's NLJ
Charlie Mercer and Astrid Gillam of Stewarts crunch the numbers on civil fraud claims in the English courts, in this week's NLJ. New data shows civil fraud claims rising steadily since 2014, with the King’s Bench Division overtaking the Commercial Court as the forum of choice for lower-value disputes
back-to-top-scroll