PROPOSALS mooted by the national Labour Party for a new Parliamentary constituency have been criticised by the Conservatives as having "disastrous" effects on the nuclear industry.

A consultation is underway on plans to reconfigure Parliamentary boundaries in England.

In their 2023 Review, the Boundary Commission has proposed a number of changes to Cumbria's seats in the House of Commons.

The current proposal is for the following seats to be contested in an upcoming General Election:

  • Carlisle
  • Workington
  • Copeland and the Western Lakes
  • Westmorland and Eden
  • Morecambe and South Lakeland

But in the latest consultation on boundary changes, the national branch of the Labour Party has proposed a Copeland and Westmorland constituency.

Labour's proposed constituencies in Cumbria are:

  • Carlisle
  • Penrith and Solway
  • West Cumbria
  • Westmorland and Copeland
  • Barrow and Furness
  • Morecambe and Lonsdale

Labour has proposed that both Whitehaven and Workington are included in the same constituency, meaning that an elected Member of Parliament for West Cumbria would cover both of the major towns in that footprint.

They said: "We argue instead that rather than, as the Commission seems to want to do, keep Whitehaven and Workington in different constituencies, the most logical proposal would be to combine them in a compact West Cumbria constituency which comprised all the communities with an industrial tradition in that part of the county.

"The more rural parts of Allerdale Borough would then be included, as some are already, in a seat with Penrith while the more rural parts of Copeland Borough would be linked with Kendal and South Lakeland."

Their proposal for a Westmorland and Copeland Constituency would include Crummock & Derwent Valley, Dalton and Keswick which are currently part of Allerdale.

Chris Whiteside a county councillor in Copeland and chairman of the Conservative party in the North-West said that the proposed House of Commons seat would be "a kick in the teeth for the nuclear industry."

Cllr Whiteside said: "They have put forward an enormous “Westmorland and Copeland” seat stretching from Sellafield to Kirkby Lonsdale.

"The communications links within this seat are terrible and it includes areas which have nothing in common, but the worst thing about this terrible proposal is that it puts most of those employed at Sellafield and other nuclear sites in West Cumbria, and most of the communities where many of those who are not directly employed in the nuclear industry are dependent on the nuclear supply chain, into different constituencies from the nuclear sites.

Cllr Whiteside said that the proposal "instead puts these nuclear facilities into a seat where most of the electorate is on the far side of Cumbria, on the other side of mountains and lakes, and includes the counties most strident anti-nuclear voices.

"This could harm the nuclear industry, which is important to Britain’s low-carbon energy future and a key employer in Cumbria."

Labour councillor for Whitehaven and a member of the Strategic Nuclear Energy Board, Joseph Ghayouba said: "Whatever the Boundary Commission decides regarding future Parliamentary boundaries as always Labour remains committed to nuclear as our 2019 Manifesto made clear. 

"If Cllr Whiteside is serious about supporting the nuclear sector he should be pressuring his own Government to invest and support the sector and secure Moorside as promised. 

"The common thread regardless of which proposal is chosen is that transport and connectivity is poor in Cumbria as a whole and that is down to under investment from central government.

"If we want the nuclear industry to thrive it will not be down to the boundaries of constituencies it will be down to better connectivity, investment in skills and underwriting the costs for new nuclear as per the 2019 Labour Party Manifesto. The government has failed on all three despite having Tory MP's in Barrow, Copeland, Workington and Carlisle"

To view all proposals for new Parliamentary boundaries visit: https://www.bcereviews.org.uk/