Insider Media Limited

The West Midlands will receive the additional European Parliament seat secured by the government. The Electoral Commission recommended the seat go to the region following a longstanding campaign from Business Voice West Midlands (BVWM).

If implemented, it means the West Midlands will be represented by seven MEPs.

Based on last year’s European elections result, the extra seat would be likely to go to Conservative candidate and Herefordshire businesswoman Anthea McIntyre.

BVWM’s executive director James Watkins said: “We are very pleased that, despite reports of lobbying by London and Scotland, this extra seat is coming to the West Midlands.

“We have long argued, in the interests of fairness and transparency, this should be the case.

“The West Midlands has a population of 5.3 million – approximately ten per cent of the UK population – yet it currently only has six MEPs representing it. This does not seem to be equitable when, for instance, Scotland, has the same despite an electorate of just 3.8 million while London has eight for 5.2 million.

“There was no doubt in our judgment that the West Midlands – in terms of the ratio between the number of MEPs and population size – has been under-represented and we are pleased this now looks set to be rectified.”

BVWM said the procedure now was for the Electoral Commission recommendation to go to Constitutional Reform Minister Mark Harper, and, if approved, written into a bill due before Parliament later this autumn.

Watkins added: “It is not clear how quickly Ms McIntyre will be able to take her seat but we hope any delay can be kept to a minimum.”