Chairman blasts ‘mad’ boundary changes

Tory Conference

CONSERVATIVE Party co-chairman Baroness Warsi says some of the proposed political boundary changes, which includes wiping Oldham West and Royton off the map, are “mad and insane”.

She said the party would appeal against some of the Boundary Commission’s proposals, which cut the number of MPs at Westminster from 650 to 600 and make sure constituencies contain similar numbers of voters.

But she insisted the overall plan was right even though not everyone in the party would be “entirely content” with the changes.

Under plans outlined earlier this month, there will be only one parliamentary seat containing the name Oldham. The new seat would be called Oldham and Saddleworth and would take in more than three-quarters of the current seat held by Debbie Abrahams. Part of Michael Meacher’s Oldham West and Royton seat would also move into that constituency. The remaining 75 per cent of Oldham West and Royton would be split into three of the newly-drawn constituencies named, Middleton, Rochdale South and Ashton-under-Lyne.

Baroness Warsi said: “The proposals have come out from the Boundary Commission. The Boundary Commission is an independent organisation, and I agree with some of our MPs that some of the proposals are mad and insane.

“So I think there is scope for us as a party and, of course, as individual members of parliament to make representations to the Boundary Commission about how they feel the more natural boundary for that association lies.”