A SWINDON lord has failed in his attempt to force government to hold an inquiry before changing parliamentary boundaries.

Under government plans, the number of MPs across the country would be reduced from 650 to 600 by the 2015 general election, with constituencies of about 75,000 voters created within a five per cent margin. No formal boundary proposals have been produced yet, but the boundaries for the Swindon area would change.

The North Swindon constituency only has 67,106 people registered to vote, compared with 70,794 in South Swindon.

Lord Michael Wills said a committee of MPs, lords and others with no political affiliation should have been set up.

“It has become clear that the Government have not thought through the implications of their proposals. The process has been irredeemably flawed. That is all the more worrying as the measures, technical though they may often be, are of great constitutional importance. There has been no public engagement with the issues."”

According to the Electoral Commission, the 3.5m people who are entitled to vote but not currently registered will be excluded from the calculations of new boundaries.

If the bill is passed, the changes would come into force before the next general election forcing a game of musical chairs with 50 seats set to be lost in the reshuffle.