TORY plans to cut the number of MPs are “dead in the water”, the leader of the SNP at Westminster has said.

Ian Blackford, whose Ross, Skye and Lochaber constituency already has the largest land area in the UK, said the UK government would be forced to drop its proposals.

Under the boundary review plan, the number of seats would be reduced from 650 to 600, with Scotland falling from 59 to 53.

The changes are intended to equalise voter numbers in seats and save £50m over five years, however critics suspect they are also aimed at helping Tory numbers.

The Boundary Commission will publish revised maps today, with final proposals due in mid-2018, followed by a Commons vote next autumn.

However Mr Blackford said the exercise was doomed because Theresa May could not muster a Commons majority for sign-off.

He said: “If these reductions in seats go ahead then the Highlands will lose a seat, leading to 40 per cent of the landmass of Scotland being represented by only three seats.

“There remain significant issues with the proposed changes.”