BLACKBURN MP Jack Straw has urged the Government not to cut the number of MPs in Parliament.

Prime Minister David Cameron has spoken of his desire to reduce the size of the House of Commons, claiming it will offer substantial savings.

But Mr Straw said the savings would be minimal, the caseloads of members would increase and that other countries with smaller parliaments had larger local governments.

He also said slashing the number of MPs would hit Labour by targeting urban areas where turnout’s lower.

In an article for The Times, he urged Liberal Democrat members not to back the Tory plans, referring to new Lib Dem Burnley MP Gordon Birtwistle.

Blackburn Rovers fan Mr Straw said: “The Lib Dems would be the biggest losers from any shake-up, and if this happened Nick Clegg would suffer at the hands of his own party an even worse punishment (if such were possible) than a wet Wednesday evening at Turf Moor.”