CONSTITUENTS will suffer under plans to axe a further two MPs in Merseyside, the Government was warned.

Knowsley MP George Howarth condemned the decision, insisting the proposed new size for seats – about 76,000 voters – was “too many for an MP to be able to represent adequately”.

Mr Howarth attacked moves to allow constituencies to cross county boundaries, warning: “We could find ourselves motoring up and down to Preston on an almost daily basis.”

He also criticised the rushed process, which means voters – unlike in two previous shake-ups affecting his seat – will be barred from objecting at a public inquiry.

During report stage on the Voting Systems and Constituencies Bill, Mr Howarth said: “A public inquiry is able to examine any problems thrown up. People in the community are the most important people in that inquiry.

“By taking away public inquiries, the relationship between constituent, MP and constituency – which is already fractured – will split completely. I think we will end up in a situation where constituencies are simply ships of convenience.”

The Daily Post revealed in July how Merseyside is likely to lose two MPs under the bill, which will slash the total from 650 to 600 and pave the way for next year’s referendum on the “alternative vote” system.

One seat is certain to disappear in Wirral, which has only 240,000 registered voters – only slightly more than enough for three seats of the proposed new size.

Liverpool would probably boast just four MPs, rather than a fifth constituency – Garston and Halewood – stretching into Knowsley borough.

Mr Howarth said he had valuable experience of the likely impact, having “experienced dramatic boundary changes in my constituency on two occasions”.

When the Labour MP won a 1986 by-election, he represented Knowsley North. In 1997, the seat became Knowsley North and Sefton East, before becoming Knowsley at the last election.

Mr Howarth explained an inquiry before the first change established many people travelled between Knowsley and Sefton for work and leisure – and the switch, therefore, had popular support.

But his new constituency had “two primary care trusts, two hospital trusts, two local authorities and two different area police command divisions”. He added: “Dealing with that is very difficult.”

Mr Howarth also pointed out his Knowsley seat already had 80,000 voters, about the number earmarked for every new constituency, telling MPs: “I honestly believe 80,000 electors is too many.”

Most controversially, the shake-up will be based on the electoral register to be published next month, even though 3.5m “missing voters” are not registered and will be excluded from the calculations of new boundaries.