text_body: --- DIVISION TITLE ---
  
  Parliamentary Constituencies Bill - Decline Second Reading
  
  --- MOTION EFFECT ---
  
  @ MP voted aye to retain a law providing for a reduction in the number of MPs in the House of Commons to 600 while expressing support for retaining 650 MPs, and to retain Parliament's role in approving changes to Parliamentary constituencies. 
   
  @ MP voted no to have 650 MPs in the House of Commons and to remove Parliament's role in approving changes to Parliamentary constituencies. 
   
  
  The majority of MPs voted to have 650 MPs in the House of Commons (amending a law which would have reduced the number to 600) and to remove Parliament's role in approving changes to Parliamentary constituencies. 
  
  MPs were considering the Parliamentary Constituencies Bill[1].
  
  The Bill provides:
   * for there to be 650 UK MPs (amending [https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/56/schedule/2/paragraph/1 Schedule 2 of the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986] which at the time of the vote stated: "The number of constituencies in the United Kingdom shall be 600").
  
   * for the removal of [https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/56/section/4/2018-07-25 provisions, in Section 4 of the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986] requiring the approval of any modifications to Parliamentary constituency boundaries by resolution of each House of Parliament, replacing them with arrangements requiring ministers to pass on the recommendations of the Boundary Commissions to the monarch for implementation via an "[https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/glossary/orders-in-council/ Order in Council]". 
  
   * to require the Boundary Commissions to carry out a review of parliamentary constituencies by 1 July 2023, 1 October 2031 and every eighth year after that, replacing provisions for a review every five years. 
  
  
  MPs were considering the motion:
  
  :That the Bill be now read a Second time.
  
  The amendment rejected in this vote stated:
  
  : leave out from âThatâ to the end of the Question and add:
  
  :âthis House whilst supporting the retention of 650 parliamentary constituencies 
  :''declines'' to give a Second Reading to the Parliamentary Constituencies Bill because the Bill would disproportionately and undemocratically concentrate power over constituency sizes and boundaries in the hands of the executive, because the Bill fails to create a more flexible electoral quota allowing greater consideration to be given to local ties and community connections when drawing constituency boundaries, and because the proposed numeration date for the boundary review of 1 December 2020 risks boundaries being based on an incomplete register owing to the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on the preparation of electoral registers.â
  
  The motion rejected in this vote was:
  
  :That the amendment be made.
  
  
  
  * [1] [https://services.parliament.uk/bills/2019-21/parliamentaryconstituencies.html Parliament's webpage on the Parliamentary Constituencies Bill]
  --- COMMENTS AND NOTES ---
  
  (put thoughts and notes for other researchers here)
  