Ulster Unionist Peer Lord Empey has highlighted the implications for electoral arrangements at Stormont as well as Westminster if the Liberal Democrats block proposed Parliamentary Boundary changes following the abandonment of plans for reform of the House of Lords.
Lord Empey said:
' 'Following his acceptance that his cherished House of Lords reform Bill is now dead, Nick Clegg announced that he would axe the constituency boundary changes already agreed by the House of Commons.'
'The Coalition agreement linked the boundary changes to the AV referendum held last year. This proposed change to the voting system was another Lib Dem sacred cow.'
'Now that the Deputy Prime Minister has linked the boundary changes to House of Lords reform instead this will sow great discontent amongst Conservative MPs.'
'I warned people at Westminster earlier this year that the Liberals would in fact link these two things even though the Conservative Party Deputy Chair Baroness Warsi insisted that boundary changes were linked to the AV referendum which Nick Clegg was granted..'
This decision will have immediate implications for Northern Ireland. If the boundary changes don't go ahead, then the size of the Assembly will remain unchanged unless other measures are taken before the next Stormont elections in either 2015 or 2016.'
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