Conservative Isle of Wight MP Andrew Turner promises to fight constituency changes

The Island’s MP, Andrew Turner, has pledged to form a cross-party campaign to block moves to carve up the constituency and hand part of it to a mainland MP.

The proposal, announced by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg on Monday, is part of a plan to reduce the number of MPs from 650 and 600, and equalise the size of UK constituencies to a new national average of 75,700 voters.

Mr Clegg said he was willing to make exceptions for two of the smallest constituencies, the Western Isles and Orkney and Shetland, which would be allowed to keep their existing boundaries, but refused to offer the same protection to the Isle of Wight.

The Island is currently home to 110,000 voters, which means the constituency faces being downsized by 34,000 voters, who would be represented by an MP from the mainland, perhaps the New Forest.

In the Commons, Mr Turner was told off by the Speaker for shouting over Mr Clegg’s statement to demand an explanation of what would happen to the Island.

Later, in response to a question from Mr Turner about consultation, the Deputy Prime Minister said: “Of course there must and will be consultation with your constituents, as there will be with constituents up and down the country.’’ Yesterday, Mr Turner, pictured, said he would not give up the fight for the Island’s “unique status’’ to be recognised in any forthcoming boundary review of constituencies.

He said: “I am very disappointed that Nick Clegg has not yet recognised the unique status of the Isle of Wight. I will be fighting on to try to make him see sense. I fully support reducing the number of MPs – but not at the cost of losing long-recognised historic and geographic boundaries.

“I am contacting the Island’s Labour Party and Liberal Democrats and will be asking them to support me in fighting this proposal.

“A number of Islanders have raised this with me and they are all against it.”