Wanstead will be affected by the proposed changes to parliamentary boundaries, but not in the way one might have expected.
It will, assuming the proposals from the Boundary Commission are enacted, change from being part of Leyton and Wanstead and instead become part of a new Leytonstone and Wanstead constituency which will also contain Wood Street bits of Walthamstow. Leyton will become part of the Walthamstow constituency.
But the recommendations are different from those made by the Boundary Commission in 2011, which we reported here, which would have meant a return to the old days of a Wanstead and Woodford constituency.
There’s been speculation about what the proposed changes will mean for Labour MPs who say they would be particularly affected by them. Whether John Cryer would attempt to seek selection for Walthamstow because of the Leyton part (and thus be up against Stella Creasy) or aim for Leytonstone and Wanstead (which would probably be a harder seat to win) is yet to be seen. In a statement on his website he said he was disappointed by the proposals, adding that they were not set in stone and that the public consultation would run until December.
The consultation is available online here.
At least as big a change is the proposed large eastern shift in the constituency with the addition of Cranbrook, Gants Hills, etc.
If John Cryer did want to be the Labour candidate for this seat instead of for the new Walthamstow constituency, despite Leytonstone and Wanstead having a much higher Tory vote than Leyton and Wanstead, he would doubtless be up against Wes Streeting, the Labour MP for Ilford North.
My guess is that either Streeting and Creasy would probably lose to him in a ballot amongst members due to their unpopularity with same.