Newly-re-elected Isle of Wight MP, Andrew Turner, has confirmed in a Tweet that the Conservative Party will be bringing back the idea of having two MPs for the Isle of Wight, with it happening by 2020.
The idea: Reborn
The idea to reapportion voting boundaries started in August 2010, not long after the last election.
Many will remember the OneWight campaign spearheaded by Andrew Turner, that raised 13,000 signatures.
Whether this campaign was a success was a matter for differing opinions (One Wight Campaign: A Success? / One Wight Campaign Says ‘It Was A Success!’, with a plan to have two MPs for the Isle of Wight TwoWight: MPs Voted It Through Last Night.
The impact
Further details will be required to understand the true impact on the Island – if it will be two Isle of Wight-based MPs, as was voted last time, or if one MP will also look after a smaller area on the Mainland as well.
Next review: Feb/March 2016
Update: OnTheWight has been in touch with the Boundary Commission to find out more details, as, as yet, Andrew Turner’s office hasn’t been responsive.
The Boundary Commission tell OnTheWight:
Unless there is a change to the current legislation – the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986, as amended 2011 – the next review of Parliamentary constituencies will allocate two constituencies to the Isle of Wight as the Act specifically states that the island must have two constituencies.
The next review of constituencies, assuming there are no changes to the legislation, will commence in late February/early March 2016. The Commission’s provisional recommendations would be published in the autumn of 2016.
Why is this being proposed?
The Isle of Wight is the largest single constituency in the UK, of over 108,000 voters. The guide size is 76,000.
With only one MP, the Island is, in effect, unrepresented, as each of the voters only has 70% of the representation other citizens in a more balanced constituency does.
Update 12:11 Added words from Boundary Commission
Source: Twitter
Image: boblinsdell under CC BY 2.0
