Columnist and Tory peer Lord Daniel Hannan expressed dismay over the reports.
He wrote on X: “What shocks is not the vote-rigging, but the blatancy. At the same time that Labour is cancelling local elections it expects to lose, it is altering the franchise for future general elections.”
It will open the door to automatic voter registration, with an opt out system to capture around seven million people not on the electoral roll, according to The Times which conducted the analysis.
It is said Birmingham Ladywood could increase from around 83,000 registered voters to more than 100,000 if all of those missing on the electoral roll are added.
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The maximum size of a constituency is predicted to be around 88,000 voters, meaning the seat would have to be split up and parts merged with surrounding areas, leading to more representation in the Commons despite the population number staying the same.
Around a third of Labour-held constituencies would reportedly have to be redrawn, compared to less than a fifth of the seats held by the Conservatives.
It is estimated the voter registration changes would mean up to 170 seats will not fall within constituency size requirements.
The Representation of the People Bill introduces powers for “registration without an application”.
If they do not do so by the deadline, they will be added to the roll.
This is set to be trialled by local councils in the coming years.
The Government told The Times that the bill “aims for a gradual shift towards a more automated registration system to simplify the process, reducing the need for voters to repeatedly fill out their details across various government services”.
