A recent general election projection has predicted that Labour could pick up a parliamentary seat in Berkshire in the next election.
Prediction site Electoral Calculus undertakes various projections to gauge what will happen in the next general election.
It has recently predicted that Labour will gain one seat in Berkshire based on current polling and a redrawn political map of the UK.
The prediction has been undertaken with the 2021 parliamentary boundary proposals in mind, which would see constituencies in the county reshaped.
READ MORE: What constituency boundary change proposals could mean for Berkshire
According to the proposals, Berkshire would lose the Reading West constituency but gain the new constituencies of Earley and Woodley and Berkshire Mid.
It is in Earley and Woodley where Labour is expected to win.
This makes a change from last year when the new constituencies were originally proposed, where New Statesman reporter Ben Walker predicted it would be won by the Conservatives.
Reacting to the news, councillor Andy Croy (Labour, Bulmershe & Whitegates) said: “The proposed new constituency of Earley and Woodley (which will also include Shinfield and Whitley) looks set to be a Labour/Conservative marginal according to the Electoral Calculus.
“The website calculates if a vote were held today, there would be a Labour majority of less than 1000 votes over the Conservatives (18,300 vs 17,400) with the Liberal Democrats trailing in third place with less than 8000 votes.
READ MORE: Could Earley and Woodley MP seat be a political battleground?
“The website assumes the new constituency will have the same form as the proposals made by the Boundary Commission for England (BCE) and which had widespread local support according to the BCE consultation responses.
“The new boundaries will come into effect from mid to late 2023. Depending on the timing of the next general election, the election could be fought on the current boundaries or the new boundaries.
“Labour members and supporters will be working hard to make sure the new MP for Earley and Woodley is a Labour MP. It will be a marginal constituency so every single vote will count.
“You cannot take anything for granted in politics – least of all voters. We will be fighting for every vote in the new constituency.”
According to a wider Electoral Calculus prediction, Labour would win 393 seats and the Conservatives would get 101 if Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Greens cooperated.
In Berkshire, of the nine seats that would exist, the Conservatives would win six – Wokingham, Bracknell, Windsor, Maidenhead, Newbury and Berkshire Mid, and Labour would pick up three – Reading, Slough and Earley and Woodley.
The prediction depends on whether the boundary changes are implemented or not.
The changes would theoretically benefit Alok Sharma, the Conservative MP for Reading West.
An Election Maps UK prediction sees Mr Sharma lose Reading West to Labour.
However, the Electoral Calculus predicts Mr Sharma will keep his seat in Parliament if he stands in Berkshire Mid, with a projected majority of 3,678 votes.
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