Eddie Barnes - Cameron's new map

One thought on David Cameron's announcement yesterday of plans to re-draw and cut the number of UK constituencies. David Mundell, his shadow Scottish Secretary was at pains to insist that this would not affect Scotland any more than anywhere else in the UK. I think I'll take that with a pinch of salt.

Clearly the Tories would love to cut some more Scottish seats. I wonder whether the Calman Commission - the body currently reviewing the powers of the Scottish Parliament - might not give them their excuse. Calman is expected to recommend further transfers of power from Westminster to Holyrood and if Cameron, as PM, agrees to it, couldn't he make the quid pro quo a further cut in the number of Scottish MPs? Wouldn't there be a convincing case to be made that, as MSPs gained in power, Scottish MPs should acknowledge their reduced status with a cut in their number? I put this to a very senior figure in the Tories yesterday who smiled and deflected my query.

Watch out Scottish Labour MPs......