The Government is set to ditch David Cameron’s plan to slash the number of MPs to 600 and instead hold a new review of parliamentary boundaries, the Evening Standard has learned.
Senior Tories plan to ask the Boundaries Commission to draw up new maps based on 650 constituencies, the same number as the current House of Commons.
All constituencies would be equal in size. At present, seat sizes range from an electorate of 21,000 in the Western Isles to 108,000 on the Isle of Wight.
The plan, being drawn up at senior levels, is expected to be passed to Boris Johnson for a decision within weeks.
Mr Cameron’s proposal to axe 50 MPs would have abolished several northern constituencies won by the Tories from Labour at last month’s general election.
The Conservatives could gain a dozen or more winnable seats by equalising seat sizes, as Labour and the SNP tend to benefit from having smaller seats in cities and areas such as the Welsh Valleys where populations have fallen.
The PM’s Commons majority means he can choose between the Cameron boundaries or getting new maps drawn up for the next election in around 2024.
