Penny Mordaunt 'shocked' by Senedd expansion plan

If Westminster were expanded in the way planned for the Senedd it would have more than 2,000 MPs, Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt has argued.

Plans to raise the number of Senedd members from 60 to 96 cleared their first hurdle in Cardiff on Tuesday.

Ms Mordaunt told MPs she was "shocked" by the plans to "massively increase" the number of MSs.

The Welsh government said the changes would "create a modern Senedd better able to represent the people of Wales".

"The answer to situations about how to get better healthcare and these things is seldom more politicians, it's usually more GPs or more teachers," she said, during business questions in Westminster,

Conservative Ms Mordaunt said an equivalent move for the UK Parliament, on the same constituent-to-politician ratio, would mean "this chamber would have to accommodate 2,058 Members of Parliament".

"That is Labour's blueprint for governing Britain I think."

The Commons leader made the comments in response to a question from the Conservative MP for Ynys Mon, Virginia Crosbie.

"Ynys Mon is represented by five members of the Senedd soon to increase to six, and merge with another constituency, which could result in not one MS living on Ynys Mon," said Ms Crosbie.

She asked: "Does the leader of the House agree with me that the Welsh Labour government, propped up by Plaid, should be prioritising increasing the number of GP and dentist appointments, not increasing the number of MSs by a staggering 60% - from 60 to 96?"

A Welsh government spokesperson said: "Wales is the most under-represented country in the UK - and the UK government has made this worse by cutting the number of Welsh MPs from 40 to 32 at the next general election.

"Our once-in-a-generation Senedd reform plans have been in progress since 2017 and will strengthen democracy in Wales.

"The changes - which are currently being debated by members of the Senedd - will create a modern Senedd better able to represent the people of Wales, with increased capacity to scrutinise, make laws, and hold the government to account."