Isle of Wight

No Boundary Changes: despite the large size of the Isle of Wight geographical considerations have prevented any splitting of the seat into smaller seats. Its theoretical entitlement in the last review was to 1.48 seats, just short of the size where the default position would have been to add an extra seat. The possibility of splitting the seat into two and having one seat that crossed the Solent to include part of the mainland was rejected because of considerations of identity and communication difficulties.

Profile: The Isle of Wight is the largest consituency in the UK, with a 2005 electorate of over 109,000. The constituency includes the whole of the island, which is itself a whole county and effectively a unitary authority. Towns in the constituency includes Cowes, Brading, the county town of Newport, Yarmouth and the seaside resorts of Ryde, Shanklin, Ventnor and Sandown.

The local economy is largely based upon tourism, both from the nautral beauty of the Isle of Wight, the traditional seaside resorts on the island and the island`s world famous connection with yachting, particular the annual Cowes Week regatta. As with most seaside resorts on the South coast, the seat has a very high proportion of elderly people. In the 2001 census a quarter of the population were pensioners. The island is also the site of three prisons, most infamously Parkhurst Prison.

Current MP: Andrew Turner(Conservative) born 1953, Coventry. Educated at Rugby and Oxford. Prior to his election he worked as a teacher and an education advisor to the last Conservative government (more information at They work for you)

2010 election candidates:
Andrew Turner(Conservative) born 1953, Coventry. Educated at Rugby and Oxford. Prior to his election he worked as a teacher and an education advisor to the last Conservative government (more information at They work for you)
Mark Chiverton (Labour) born in Newport. Educated at Carisbrooke High School. Contested Isle of Wight 2005.
Jill Wareham (Liberal Democrat) born 1951. Clerk. Isle of Wight councillor 1993-2005.
Bob Keats (Green)
Mike Tarrant (UKIP) born 1945. Contested Portsmouth South 2001, Isle of Wight 2005.
Geoff Clynch (BNP)
Ian Dunsire (English Democrat)
Paul St John Martin (Middle England)
Edward Corby (Independent)
Peter Harris (Independent)
Paul Randle-Jolliffe (Independent)