MP Emily Thornberry has blasted sweeping changes to parliamentary constituencies which could see the Islington North seat held by Jeremy Corbyn vanish, saying: “The whole thing stinks.”

The Labour leader’s seat will disappear as it is carved up and shared with nearby constituencies under highly controversial plans published by the Boundary Commission for England this week.

Islington North will merge with the Hackney North and Stoke Newington seat held by Mr Corbyn’s close ally Diane Abbott to form a new Finsbury Park and Stoke Newington constituency, losing the Junction and St George’s wards to the Holborn and St Pancras seat to the west and Mildmay to Islington South.

The plans are aimed at reducing the number of MPs to 600 and making the size of constituencies more even, but the reforms have been widely criticised for guaranteeing the Tories’ grip on power as Labour is set to lose by far the most seats.

Ms Thornberry, whose Islington South and Finsbury seat will remain largely unchanged but will be renamed Islington, said: “It’s very obvious gerrymandering. The whole thing stinks.

“The Boundary Commission is independent but they have had to do what the Tories have forced them to do. It’s all based on the lie that Islington is too small. But of course Islington needs two MPs.”

The Boundary Commission has redrawn constituencies based on the number of people on the voting register, not overall population numbers. However, inner-city areas such as Islington have huge numbers of people not on the register.

“Islington has a young, international and transient population,” Ms Thornberry added. “EU migrants and people that do not have British citizenship are not being considered but they still live in my constituency and they still need their MP.

“Despite the Town Hall’s best efforts it’s difficult to get everyone on the register. I have always said: let’s count on the basis of people in the constituency.”

Ms Thornberry expects there will be a legal challenge to the plans.

The proposals were described as “bonkers” by Caledonian ward Labour councillor Paul Convery because the Finsbury Park and Stoke Newington seat excludes the park itself.

The changes mean that the area under the control of Islington Council will be divided across three parliamentary constituencies.

Under Labour Party rules, an MP has a right to seek selection for a newly-created seat if it contains 40 per cent of their previous constituency. It has been suggested that the changes would see Mr Corbyn go head-to-head with close ally Diane Abbott for the new seat.

However, the Tribune understands that Ms Abbott could forfeit the seat in return for newly-created Hackney Central constituency.

MP Meg Hillier, who currently represents Hackney South and Shoreditch, would move further east and this would continue up to Poplar and Limehouse, the seat of Labour MP Jim Fitzpatrick, who is retiring, so no Labour MP would lose a seat.

A spokesman for Mr Corbyn said: “There is every reason to believe Jeremy will still have a seat to contest.

“Nearly 60 per cent of the new Finsbury Park and Stoke Newington constituency is in Islington North.”

• Keywords
  POLITICIANS, DEMOCRACY, PARLIAMENTARY CONSTITUENCIES
• Geographical keyword
  ISLINGTON (LONDON BOROUGH)
• Persons keyword
  Boundary Commission, Emily Thornberry, Jeremy Corbyn