Will there be a penalty for delaying the process?

One consequential development from Clegg’s statement on the boundaries is that his party and Labour are now both choosing candidates based on the 2010 election electoral map.

It’s generally regarded as good campaigning practice to get your choice made early so that the Prospective Parliamentary Candidate can build up a presence in the area. This is particularly important in the marginals where the odd few hundred votes can be decisive.

Labour is putting the emphasis on winning back seats it lost to the Tories in 2010 and the priority for the LDs is establishing candidates in seats it holds where the incumbent is standing down.

If it wasn’t for the fact that the PM is pressing forward on the boundaries the Tories would be doing the same putting the priority on those seats it needs to win to secure a majority.

The dilemma for Cameron is that he doesn’t want to take the pressure off Clegg on the boundaries.

In doing so, however, he could be putting his party at a disadvantage.

What’s he going to do? A decision has to be made because the boundary vote is not likely to take place for a year.

This is much more than just a campaigning issues. Many constituency parties use the Westminster seats for their organisational structure.

Mike Smithson @MSmithsonPB