TWO senior Conservative councillors believe proposed Parliamentary boundary changes leaving two Tory MPs fighting for the party nomination for a single merged constituency will never happen.

The recently-published final version of the proposed shake-up needs to be approved by the House of Commons to take effect.

Ribble Valley Council leader Cllr Ken Hind and Blackburn with Darwen Borough Conservative group leader Cllr John Slater said it will rejected.

They think Brexit will mean more work for the current 650 MPs as we leave the European Union making reducing their number by 50 unnecessary.

The most controversial of the changes, which would cut the number of East Lancashire seats from six to five, would see the Eastern end of Nigel Evans Ribble Valley seat including Clitheroe and Whalley merged with Colne and West Craven from Andrew Stephenson's Pendle.

Both MPs are opposed to this new Pendle and Ribble Valley constituency as is Pendle Liberal Democrat peer Lord Tony Greaves

Under the proposals Nelson goes into a redrawn Burnley seat while Padiham is moved into a new Hyndburn constituency which loses Helmshore and Haslingden to a revised Rossendale and Darwen.

This redrawn constituency loses Lower Darwen which goes into a new Blackburn seat.

The northern part of Ribble Valley including Longridge and Ribchester moves to a giant North Lancashire constituency.

Cllr Slater, whose Blackburn South and Lower Darwen ward would move from Tory MP Jake Berry's Rossendale and Darwen in Kate Hollern's Blackburn, said: "This plan is a dead duck.

"It will never happen because it will never get through Parliament.

"MPs have more important thing to do such as Brexit after which they will have more work to do as they take on the responsibilities now exercised by of European MPs when we leave the EU.

Cllr Hind said: "I don't think it will ever happen. Turkeys don't vote for Christmas.

"The idea of reducing the number of MPs from 650 to 600 was proposed before the referendum .With the demise of the European Parliament and increase of work load connected with Brexit there will be no need."

Lord Greaves said: “The proposal for a 30 miles long sausage-shaped seat stretching from Samlesbury to Laneshaw Bridge is just ridiculous, and adding including Nelson and Brierfield into 'Burnley' is almost as silly."