Politics of The Isle of Wight - Westminster Representation

Westminster Representation

See also Parliamentary representation from Isle of Wight for a list of the current and historical constituencies.

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.

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 won on a reduced Conservative vote. The seat reverted to the Conservatives in 2001.