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Parliamentary boundary changes: Six West Midlands seats axed as constituencies redrawn

The West Midlands could lose six Parliamentary seats as part of boundary changes that will see the number of MPs in the UK reduced from 650 to 600.

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Two would go in the Black Country with many borders being redrawn under massive changes to Commons constituencies announced today by the Boundary Commission.

The proposals, which are set to be implemented in time for the 2020 general election, could lead to many MPs facing a battle for survival. They were instigated on the back of a Conservative election manifesto pledge to cut costs.

  • Click here to see the full list of new West Midlands constituencies

In the West Midlands the number of constituencies will drop from 53 to 47. Two seats will be lost in areas currently covered by the Black Country.

One seat will go in Walsall, while a seat crossing the Sandwell-Dudley boundary will also go.

Walsall will see David Winnick's Walsall North seat abolished, with parts of it amalgamated into three new seats: Walsall Central; Wednesfield and Willenhall; and Aldridge, Brownhills and Bloxwich.

Parts of Dudley North will be taken in by a new seat, Wolverhampton South East and Coseley, while Dudley North and South will be scrapped and replaced by Dudley East and Tipton, and Dudley West.

In Sandwell, Tom Watson's West Bromwich East will go, as will Adrian Bailey's West Bromwich West, while a new West Bromwich constituency will be formed.

Wolverhampton's three wards will be scrapped and replaced with Wednesfield and Willenhall; Wolverhampton West; and Wolverhampton South and Coseley.

The review has been conducted under rules laid down by Parliament which require a reduction in the number of constituencies and the number of electors in each seat to be brought more in line with each other.

This means the number of constituencies in England must reduce from 533 to 501, with no fewer than 71,031 and no more than 78,507 electors in each one.

Chris Skidmore, the minister for the constitution, said: "Equalising the size of constituencies in the Boundary Review will mean everyone's vote will carry equal weight.

"Without such boundary reforms, MPs could end up representing constituencies based on data that is over 20 years' old, disregarding significant changes in demographics, house building and migration."

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