Shropshire Star

Boundary changes: Glyn Davies MP talks of plan to save constituency Montgomeryshire

The man who faces being the last MP for Montgomeryshire is hoping to come up with a Blackadder-style cunning plan to save his ancient constituency from being ripped apart, which he says will also kill off his political career for good.

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Glyn Davies MP

Montgomeryshire MP Glyn Davies said the Wales Boundary Commission's 'interim' report for the review of Parliamentary constituencies in Wales will demolish Montgomeryshire.

It will be split into three, with the northern half of the constituency, including Welshpool, being merged with Clwyd South to form a new South Clwyd and North Montgomeryshire constituency.

Meanwhile, the south of the constituency, including Newtown, will become part of the Brecon and Radnor seat, which will be renamed Brecon, Radnor and Montgomery and Blaen Hafren and Llanidloes go into Ceredigion and North Pembrokeshire.

While the review was required to be completed by October 2013, the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 amended the Parliamentary Constituencies and Voting System Act, delaying the review until 2018 – Mr Davies is hoping it will be delayed again and ultimately forgotten about.

He said: "The first priority for an MP is their constituency and then to their party. What I need to do is scupper the Act itself.

"It will have to be a cunning plan but politics is like that.

"I don't think people quite understand that most of this has already been passed and is on the statute book. Boundary changes call for a reduction from 40 MPs to 29.

"Wales has been over-represented in the past and it also has the National Assembly taking more of a responsibility.

"The Act was passed by the coalition government of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in 2011, which has left the Boundary Commission with almost no flexibility.

"What seems to be wanted is a stand against the statute book and I'm pretty happy to do that."

In 2011 he said there were a lot of "shenanigans" that led to the House of Lords putting in a five-year delay.

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