Politics of the Isle of Wight

As a geographical entity distinct from the mainland, the Isle of Wight has always fought to have this identity recognised. The Isle of Wight is a Ceremonial and Administrative county and as it has no district councils (only the county council) it is effectively a Unitary county, though not officially. It is unique in England in this way - all other Unitary areas are single districts with no county council, while the Isle of Wight is the other way round. The island is also the highest populated Westminster constituency in the country.

Westminster Representation

The Isle of Wight forms a single constituency of the House of Commons, with an electorate of 108,253 (as of 2004). This is by far the largest electorate in the country, and more than 50% above the England average of 70,026. The Boundary Commission has considered the possibility of splitting the island into two constituencies, but it was felt that the island would be better represented by a single MP. http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pbc/review_areas/IsleofWight.asp

Related Topics:
Constituency - House of Commons - As of 2004 - Boundary Commission

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The constituency is traditionally a battleground between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. Between 1974 and 1987 the seat was a Liberal seat, then becoming Conservative until 1997 when the Liberal Democrats slipped in on a reduced Conservative vote. The seat reverted to the Conservatives in 2001

Related Topics:
Conservatives - Liberal Democrats - Liberal - 1997 - 2001

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2005 General Election

Five candidates contested the Isle of Wight constituency in the United Kingdom general election, 2005:

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Results:

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The election was expected to be a close race between the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives, but the high Conservative vote even surprised the successful candidate. The simultaneous local elections resulted in a Conservative landslide, and the high turnout and popular Conservative vote in the parliamentary election was likely to be a local sign of dissatisfaction with the incumbent, largely Liberal Democrat Council, as well as reflecting on the national issues. The Labour candidate bucked the national trend and significantly increased the Labour vote to the highest for over 30 years, whilst the UKIP, did not manage to make the breakthrough expected by some, and only slightly increased their vote share.

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Voting Summary:

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2001 General Election

In the United Kingdom general election, 2001, the incumbent MP, Dr Peter Brand, a Liberal Democrat was ousted by Andrew Turner of the Conservatives, one of the few constituencies to change hands. The Isle of Wight was also the last constituency in England to declare its results.

Related Topics:
United Kingdom general election, 2001 - Peter Brand - Andrew Turner

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Results:

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These results indicate a 6.6% swing from Liberal Democrat to Conservative relative to the 1997 election. However there was only a small increase in the number of Conservative votes, while the Liberal vote fell significantly. The Labour vote remained largely static.

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Among the minor parties the UK Independence gained votes, although not able to equal the results achieved by the similarly eurosceptic Referendum party in 1997. This was possibly due to strategic voting by the generally right-wing supporters of the eurosceptic policies to ensure a Conservative victory. The Green Party also managed to almost triple its share of the vote.

Related Topics:
UK Independence - Strategic voting - Conservative - Green Party

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Voting Summary:

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In common with much of the country the turnout in 2001 was down on 1997, with the number voting comparable to the national average (59%).

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