𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Plans by beleaguered Labour to enable automatic voter registration will see election boundaries ripped up in a move which is tipped to benefit left-wing parties. Changes proposed in a new bill are expected to significantly affect the next independent redrawing of constituency boundaries in 2031. 

Hundreds of seats will need to be redrawn, according to new analysis. Dense urban areas — historically supportive of Labour — are reportedly expected to gain more seats as a result. It follows the introduction of the elections bill, officially known as the Representation of the People Bill, to parliament earlier this month.

Columnist and Tory peer Lord Daniel Hannan expressed dismay over the reports.

He wrote on X: “What shocks is not the vote-rigging, but the blatancy. At the same time that Labour is cancelling local elections it expects to lose, it is altering the franchise for future general elections.”

Labour has since U-turned on its plans to postpone dozens of council elections.

One person responded to Lord Hannan, saying: “This is blatant gerrymandering.”

It will open the door to automatic voter registration, with an opt out system to capture around seven million people not on the electoral roll, according to The Times which conducted the analysis.

This surge in voter numbers would mean many constituencies would need to be redrawn, such as the seat represented by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.

It is said Birmingham Ladywood could increase from around 83,000 registered voters to more than 100,000 if all of those missing on the electoral roll are added.

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The maximum size of a constituency is predicted to be around 88,000 voters, meaning the seat would have to be split up and parts merged with surrounding areas, leading to more representation in the Commons despite the population number staying the same.

Around a third of Labour-held constituencies would reportedly have to be redrawn, compared to less than a fifth of the seats held by the Conservatives.

It is estimated the voter registration changes would mean up to 170 seats will not fall within constituency size requirements.

The Representation of the People Bill introduces powers for “registration without an application”.

It would enable eligible voters to be informed they are unregistered and given a deadline by which they can reject being added to the electoral register.

If they do not do so by the deadline, they will be added to the roll.

This is set to be trialled by local councils in the coming years.

The Government told The Times that the bill “aims for a gradual shift towards a more automated registration system to simplify the process, reducing the need for voters to repeatedly fill out their details across various government services”.