The maths which show the Tories are stitching up the result of the next election

There were two sets of figures released today and both should ring alarm bells for anyone who cares about democracy.

The first came from the Office for National Statistics and showed the number of people on the electoral register had fallen from 45,325,100 in 2014 to 44,722,000 last year .

The second came from the Boundary Commission immediately afterwards and revealed its proposals to cut the number of Parliamentary seats in England from 533 to 501.

These are dry numbers but between them they amount to a political stitch up that makes Tammany Hall look like a kindergarten operation.

The main loser is the validity of our democracy but the main casualty is the Labour Party.

David Cameron was elected on a manifesto pledge to cut the number of MPs from 650 to 600.

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