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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Politics
Chris Kitching & Gavin Cordon

Boris Johnson redrawing political rulebook to 'stay in power for a decade'

Boris Johnson is seeking to abolish the Fixed-term Parliaments Act and redraw constituency boundaries in a bid to stay in No10 for a decade.

The Prime Minister is said to be already laying the groundwork for a second term after winning a majority government by a landslide in Thursday's General Election.

Abolition of the coalition-era act is expected to be included in the Queen's Speech next week.

The repeal would give Mr Johnson control over when he next faces British voters, who have gone to the polls three times in less than five years.

It prevented the Prime Minister from calling an election during the Brexit deadlock in Westminster until his rivals agreed.

Boris Johnson made a symbolic visit to the Sedgefield constituency in Co Durham (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

In addition to repealing the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, Mr Johnson is eager to redraw constituency boundaries to retain office, and reform the Human Rights Act and the courts, the Times reported.

But experts have urged the Prime Minister to focus on the everyday priorities of Britons who gave him the Conservatives' biggest majority since the Thatcher era.

Meg Russell, director of the Constitution Unit at University College London, said: "Going back to an individual discretionary power seems to be a retrograde step. For the Prime Minister to have complete discretion is unusual in a modern democracy."

An earlier Boundary Commission review was unpopular in Westminster because it suggested cutting the number of MPs from 650 to 600.

Meanwhile, Mr Johnson has vowed to repay the trust of former Labour supporters whose votes helped deliver him victory in the General Election.

The Prime Minister made a symbolic visit to Tony Blair's old Sedgefield constituency in County Durham - which fell to the Tories on Thursday night - to pledge his commitment to spreading opportunity across the country.

The Prime Minister kisses a Tory supporter's dog in Sedgefield (PA)

"We believe in giving opportunity to everyone," he told a crowd of cheering supporters and newly-elected MPs from the region packed into the local cricket club.

"We believe that talent is evenly distributed throughout our country, but opportunity is unfairly distributed.

"We are going to rectify that as a One Nation Conservative government, as a people's government, that is what we are going to do."

Sedgefield was one of a swathe of seats across the North, Midlands and north Wales in Labour's hitherto impregnable "red wall" to go blue as the Tories stormed to an 80-seat majority in the new House of Commons.

In his speech, Mr Johnson acknowledged how difficult it was for many lifelong Labour supporters to break with the party and cast their votes for the Tories.

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