LIVERPOOL and Wirral will each lose an MP under proposals published today by the Boundaries Commission to slash the number of politicians in the House of Commons by 50.
In Liverpool, the city’s Walton constituency, currently occupied by metro mayor hopeful Steve Rotheram, will be effectively scrapped - ending speculation about who might run for the safest Labour seat in the land. Its wards would be divided between the adjoining constituencies.
Across the river, Wirral West and Wirral South would disappear to be replaced by a new Bebington and Heswall Constituency.
In, out, in, out, shake it all about: what the Mersey boundary shake up means for you
Knowsley (George Howarth, Labour), Garston and Halewood (Maria Eagle, Labour), St Helens South and Whiston (Marie Rimmer, Labour), and St Helens North (Connor McGinn, Labour) will stay the same under the proposals.
Wavertree (Luciana Berger, Labour) will be expanded to take in the Greenbank, and Tuebrook and Stoneycroft wards.
Liverpool West Derby (Stephen Twigg, Labour) will lose Tuebrook and Stoneycroft, but gain Fazakerley and Clubmoor wards.
Liverpool Riverside (Louise Ellman, Labour) would lose Greenbank ward, but gain Anfield and Everton from the axed Liverpool Walton constituency.
Bootle (Peter Dowd, Labour) will be expanded to take in the Liverpool city wards of County and Warbreck, joining Garston and Halewood as a cross-boundary constituency.
Sefton Central (Bill Esterson, Labour) will remain virtually unchanged, apart from taking in Victoria ward from the Bootle constituency.
Southport (John Pugh, Liberal Democrat) will cross into Lancashire, taking in three wards from South Ribble.
Halton (Derek Twigg, Labour) remains virtually unchanged in Widnes and Runcorn, but will be expanded to take in the Runcorn new town ward of Halton Lea.
The review, expected to be in place by 2018 in preparation for the next general election, was ordered to reduce membership of the Commons to 600, but also to adjust boundaries so that each constituency has an average electorate of around 75,000.
Critics of the review claim it favours the ruling Conservative party, with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s London constituency, Islington North, one of the casualities.
At one time it was feared there would be a battle in Liverpool between the five sitting Labour MPs over who would be sacrificed.
But with Walton MP Steve Rotheram almost certain to be elected as Liverpool City Region’s elected mayor next May, it could make the task less painful.
Read more: Steve Rotheram wins Labour Metro Mayor race
However the sitting MPs may face a challenge within the Labour Party with all of them having to compete for their seats as a result of the boundary changes.
Mutionous Labour MPs who have failed to back Jeremy Corbyn may already bevulnerable, but the latest move could lead to some big-name politicians on Merseyside disappearing anyway.
But Steve Rotheram insisted the possibility of Walton vanishing had not influenced his decision to successfully seek his party’s nomination to stand for the region’s new metro mayor.
Angela Eagle’s Wallasey constituency would be enlarged, though she is one of the targets from Corbyn supporters who have called for her to be replaced.
Frank Field’s Birkenhead patch would also be enlarged under the proposals.
It could mean a battle between Labour’s Alison McGovern (Wirral South) and Margaret Greenwood (Wirral West) over who grabs the new seat spanning the Bebington and Heswall constituency.
A 12-week public consultation exercise is now under way, with official public events due in Liverpool next month.
