SNP's Ian Blackford faces fight to keep home turf as MPs count cost of changes

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford speaks during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons. Picture: PA Wire

With only ten of the current 59 Westminster constituencies in Scotland untouched by the Boundary Commission's proposals, it isn't possible to make a direct comparison between the existing map and the new one, but a handful of Scottish MPs face difficult choices if changes are made before the next election.

Top of that list are the SNP leader at Westminster, Ian Blackford (Ross, Skye and Lochaber) and his neighbour Drew Hendry (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey). Their seats would effectively be merged into a single, huge constituency, Highland Central.

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A similar fight could play out between Tory MPs Andrew Bowie (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) and Colin Clark (Gordon) over the new constituency of Gordon and Deeside.

Boundaries would change for all Glasgow MPs, but Patrick Grady (Glasgow North) could face the biggest challenge in finding a new seat, as would Marion Fellows, whose Motherwell and Wishaw constituency faces being carved up.

In south Ayrshire, the SNP’s Philippa Whitford and Bill Grant could end up facing off against each other for the new Ayr and Carrick seat, while in Edinburgh, Labour’s Ian Murray and the SNP’s Joanna Cherry face significant changes to their electorates.