This in from Andrew Turner’s Office – Ed
Andrew Turner has welcomed tonight’s decision by the House of Lords who voted 196 to 122 in favour of keeping the Isle of Wight separate from the mainland in terms of parliamentary representation.
Over the summer the Island’s MP led the ‘OneWight’ campaign which was enthusiastically supported by the Island’s local media, the local political parties, the Chamber of Commerce and many thousands of Islanders and organisations. The campaign culminated in the delivery of a parliamentary petition to 10 Downing Street signed by over 17,500 people.
The Government could still seek to overturn the amendment, but if tonight’s decision of the House of Lords stands, it will be up to the independent Boundary Commission to decide whether the Isle of Wight is represented by one MP or two in future. It would however prevent a cross-Solent constituency, an idea that has met with widespread opposition.
Mr Turner said:
“This decision is quite simply very good sense from the House of Lords. We are not quite at the end of the line because there is a chance the Government could try to have the amendment reversed, but I am hopeful that will not happen, particularly as there was such a healthy majority in the House of Lords with support from all sides.
“The House of Commons never got the opportunity to vote on the specific proposal to keep the Island separate – so even if the Government tries to change this decision in the Commons they may not get it through.
“Many MPs think this is a ridiculous idea which should never have got this far. It will become clear over the next few weeks what will happen next.
“I would like to thank everybody who got involved in the campaign, every single contribution or signature was important. People may have thought that everything had gone quiet, but we have been working hard on this behind the scenes.
“Lord Fowler has been incredibly effective, as has Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay – they have done a great job for the Island. Sometimes putting party politics aside and working on a cross-party basis really is important and the best way to get results.”
Richard Priest, the independent spokesman for the OneWight campaign said:
“This is great news. Although we have not yet won the war, we have won a very significant battle towards getting the special status of the Island recognised.
“I have been very impressed by the way in which the political parties have put differences aside and worked on this together, as well as the support given by other organisations such as the Chamber of Commerce and Island businesses.
“I am absolutely convinced this is the right decision and I hope the Government will now recognise that.”
Image: drljohnson under CC BY 2.0
