Proposed changes to Parliamentary constituencies would radically redraw Brighton and Hove's electoral map and make Caroline Lucas' seat less defensible at the 2020 election.

The initial proposals unveiled by the Boundary Commission, which is tasked with enacting the decision to reduce MP numbers from 650 to 600, would move safe green wards out of the Brighton Pavilion seat.

The county will retain its 16 MPs but the Wealden seat of Nus Ghani will no longer exist – shared between Lewes and a new constituency along the Kent and Sussex border.

HOVE

Of Brighton and Hove' three constituencies Peter Kyle’s Hove seat would be least affected, and renamed Brighton Central and Hove.

The constituency would lose Hove Park ward - currently represented by two Conservative councillors.

That ward would fall within the boundary of the new Brighton North constituency, which is broadly the Brighton Pavilion seat currently represented by Green MP Caroline Lucas.

It would gain the Green-leaning wards of Regency, and St Peter’s and North Laine.

BRIGHTON PAVILION

The proposals would see Caroline Lucas’ constituency undergo major changes which might well make it harder for the Greens to retain the seat.

In the west, Hove Park ward, which elected two Conservative councillors in May 2015, would now fall within the boundary of the new Brighton North patch.

At the south, the seat loses the two staunchly Green wards of Regency, and St Peter’s and North Laine.

They would become the eastern tip of the Brighton Central and Hove constituency which replaces Hove.

And in the North, the seat gains the solidly Labour wards of Moolsecoomb and Bevendean, and Tory voting Woodingdean.

The net result would make the seat much less defensible for Ms Lucas, who currently enjoys a majority of around 8,000 votes.

BRIGHTON KEMPTOWN

Conservative Simon Kirby’s seat would see the greatest changes of the three Brighton and Hove seats under the proposals released at midnight, and would now extend along the coast as far as Seaford.

The new Brighton East and Newhaven seat, when compared to the current Brighton Kemptown constituency, would lose the Labour stronghold of Moolsecoomb and Bevendean to Brighton North.

It would also lose the Tory ward of Woodingdean to what is currently Ms Lucas’s seat.

At present the eastern boundary of the seat is Peacehaven East, but Brighton East and Newhaven will run take in all of Newhaven and Seaford.

The seat will contain seven wards from the existing seat, three that fall within Brighton and Hove and four from Lewes district, with the addition of a further seven Lewes wards.

THE REST OF EAST SUSSEX

The Lewes constituency of Maria Caulfield will undergo significant changes retaining 14 wards and gaining 12 from the fellow Conservative Wealden constituency including wards that cover Uckfield.

This constituency would include the areas of Lewes, Uckfield, Polegate and parts of the Ashdown Forest and will be renamed Lewes and Uckfield.

Also undergoing significant changes will be Huw Merriman’s Bexhill and Battle constituency comprising which will be redrawn to include three wards from Wealden.

The new cross-border Sussex constituency called High Weald will straddle the boundary between Kent and East Sussex.

The new constituency would include nine wards of Wealden constituency, including Crowborough, five wards of Bexhill and Battle incorporating Robertsbridge, four Tunbridge Wells wards and seven Ashford wards.

Two East Sussex constituencies, Amber Rudd’s Hastings and Rye and Caroline Ansell’s Eastbourne, will remain the same.

WEST SUSSEX

The eight constituencies of West Sussex will remain largely unchanged under the proposals.

Tim Loughton’s East Worthing and Shoreham seat will remain as it is while a further five are changed only by the transfer of one ward.

As part of the rejig, the Plaistow ward will be transferred from Andrew Tyrie’s Chichester constituency to Nick Herbert’s Arundel and South Downs seat.

Bolney will move from Sir Nicholas Soames’ Mid Sussex constituency to Arundel and South

Downs while Barnham will move into Nick Gibb’s Bognor Regis and from Arundel and South Downs

Henry Smith’s Crawley constituency will gain the ward of Copthorne and Worth from his fellow Conservative Jeremy Quin in Horsham.

See tomorrow's edition of The Argus for the full reaction and report