Earlier this month several national newspapers stated the Government was about to ditch the Boundary Commission Review – aimed at reducing the number of MPs from 650 to 600 – in favour of a new review.
After years of consultations and hard work by those involved with the Review, in September 2018, the Boundary Commission for England published its final recommendations for new parliamentary constituency boundaries (not to be confused with local council boundaries).
This included a recommendation for the Isle of Wight – the largest constituency in the country – to have two MPs.
Seely: Current boundaries are rather historic and need to be updated
OnTheWight approached Isle of Wight Conservative MP, Bob Seely, to ask what he thought of the news.
He told OnTheWight,
“At this moment, this is speculation. I will wait to see what the Government brings forward in due course. The current boundaries (nationwide) are now rather historic and they certainly need to be updated to reflect population changes, whether that is based on either 650 or 600 constituencies.
“In terms of the Isle of Wight, I can see pros and cons of the Island being either one constituency or split into two, and I will therefore reserve judgement until more detailed plans have been published.
“Having being part of the successful ‘One Wight’ campaign a few years ago, I remain of the view that we should not share a constituency with the mainland and I am confident that the Government will continue to recognise that.”
