'Devonwall' parliamentary constituency proposal scrapped

The plans recommend a single parliamentary seat stretching across the boundary between the counties

Controversial proposals to change parliamentary boundaries which would have seen a "Devonwall' seat created have been abandoned.

Under the changes, 50 constituencies would have been wiped from the electoral map.

The scrapped plans would have involved a cross-border parliamentary seat between Devon and Cornwall.

A review was carried out after Parliament said the number of MPs should be reduced from 650 to 600.

The initial proposal would have seen Bude and Launceston in north Cornwall joined with Bideford in north Devon, and it provoked anger on both sides of the River Tamar.

The proposed Devonwall constituency would have combined two parliamentary seats - Torridge and West Devon and North Cornwall

Constitution minister Chloe Smith said the plans to reduce seats to 600 had been dropped in a "change of policy", the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

"Since that policy was established in the coalition agreement, the United Kingdom has now left the European Union.

"The UK Parliament will have a greater workload now we are taking back control and regaining our political and economic independence.

"It is therefore sensible for the number of parliamentary constituencies to remain at 650."

The change would have meant each constituency would have had roughly the same number of electors in each - between 71,000 and 78,500.