Bambos Charalambous hits out at Boundary Commission

Constituencies map — How Enfield Southgate would be split into four different constituencies

The parliamentary seat of Enfield Southgate should be abolished, a review of constituency boundaries has concluded.

A report by the Boundary Commission submitted to the government last month recommended the seven wards currently comprising Enfield Southgate be split four different ways.

The boundaries review was launched by the Conservative government in February 2016 to reduce the overall number of seats in the House of Commons, from 650 at present to 600 at the next election.

Bambos Charalambous, the Labour MP for Enfield Southgate elected last year, has hit out at the move as a a bid to “rig” the electoral system. David Burrowes, the former Conservative MP for the seat, previously launched a ‘Save Our Southgate’ campaign to keep it together.

However, the Boundary Commission recommended that Grange ward move into an expanded Enfield North seat; Palmers Green move into Edmonton; Bowes move into Hornsey; and the remaining wards merge with four others in Barnet to create a new ‘Finchley and Enfield Southgate’ constituency.

Bambos said: “Placing more power in the hands of fewer MPs is an attack on our democracy and an attempt to rig our electoral system. And who is set to lose the most seats? Labour, of course.

“This gerrymandering will spell the end of the iconic seat that I now represent. Tight-knit communities in Enfield Southgate will be torn apart, but the Boundary Commission has completely ignored their views and the views of millions of voters in the UK who have registered since 2015.

“For the sake of our democracy, the government should scrap these proposals.”

Sam Hartley, secretary to the commission, said: “We think the new map of constituencies best reflects the rules set for us by parliament and we’re delighted that our recommendations are based heavily on what members of the public have told us about their local areas.”

View the Boundary Commission proposals online:
Visit bce2018.org.uk

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