Joe Robertson has described his inaugural visit to the Houses of Parliament as ‘surreal’ in what has been a busy first week for the newly-elected Isle of Wight East MP. On election night (4th July), St Helen’s man Joe received a total of 10,427 votes securing a majority of 3,323 ahead of Reform’s Sarah Morris, who received 7,1o4 votes. Joe – alongside the Isle of Wight West MP Richard Quigley – went up to London at the start of the week before being sworn in on Wednesday. Recalling the process of being sworn in, Joe has said:
“You almost don’t have time to feel it because everything is so fast-moving, I’ve been interested in politics and the House of Commons for most of my life, so to suddenly be sitting there surrounded by all those important people it’s quite surreal.”
Joe was shown around all the different departments at Parliament and witnessed ‘moving day’ within the many offices. With an official office not yet allocated for MP Robertson, he is currently sharing space with Graham Stewart, Conservative MP for Beverley and Holderness. Speaking on his first impressions of his new surroundings, Joe said:
“It’s a bit like the first week at school or freshers week at University, there’s so many things you need to get your head around and rules and protocols you have to follow.”
During his visit Joe found himself sat on what he described as the ‘tightly packed benches’ between party leaders Nigel Farage (Reform UK) and Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic and Labour Party), and even witnessed amicable conversations between once bitter rivals Prime Minister Keir Starmer and former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. With Parliament sitting numerous times a week and often some late finishes involved, Joe will be looking to stay over in the nations capital when necessary but is weighing up his options after being advised to take things slowly and not to rush when making a choice, a mantra he is also following when it comes to setting up his office. During his first week Joe has visited the Royal Victoria Yacht Club in Fishbourne – as previously reported by Island Echo, took up his seat on the Ryde Town Board and attended the awarding of the King’s Award to volunteers at Sandown & Shanklin Independent Lifeboat.
He looks like an MP. I am sure he will do well, but his party truly needs to take on more of Reforms views re immigration.
Joe may not have racist views like many Reformers.
Quiet down you racist bigot.
Or not. Both his party and Deform lost the election. Remember?
You lost. Get over it.
Grow up Crueso, the election is over, Reform will
never get in power.
Keep dreaming
I hope you’re going to bring a few thousand migrants the next few years too the island as we need more diversity here.There are too many white people here on the island
My thoughts exactly.
The island needs to come into the 21st century.
Problem is the wonderfully diverse appear to want to turn back the clock and live in the previous century..
That’s hilarious considering the way most old Deformers keep banging on about how things were better in their day.
You yourself need deporting to rwanda for that pathetic remark
Yeah, just what the island needs. Dear god, talk about moronic
why are you such a bigot and racist?
I’m not, idiot. But then I’m beginning to think you’re a wind-up, especially with a name like that. If not, you are truly stupid
Let’s hope they run the Council
Our Ex PM and existing London Mayor are
from other cultures, nothing wrong with that in my world
We are all equals
Back under your bridge troll
Not a troll, I agree with Mandy.
Joe now you are back to reality, how about
dealing with the speeding issues on the Island.
Labour run Wales and London enforced
20mph speed limits to crack down on
Speeding motorists.
It is high time the island tackled the
Speeding problem on the island.
Hopefully yourself and Richard can look
into this matter.
May I suggest you both spend some time
travelling around the island to witness
the speeding issue.
Speeding is rife on the island.
There could be thousands of career opportunities as they employ people with flags to walk in front of cars, thereby restricting their speed to one more suited to the frail human form.
20 mph for the whole Island?
Truly ludicrous.
From what I see on a daily basis on this
Lawless Island, speeding is rife
parking on the pavement along Regent Street
Shanklin is rife.
“DOES NO ONE ON THE ISLAND POLICE
TRAFFIC PROBLEMS”
Eg
Parking on Pavements
Parking on Double Yellow Lines
Speeding
The 2 new MPs need to sort these problems out.
WOULD DEFORM HAVE SORTED OUT THESE PROBLEMS
With war in Ukraine and the prisons bursting at the seams, I’m sure parking on the pavements is the new governments number 1 priority.
No but Reform would have done.
How?
By ending masse illegal immigration then spaces in prisons could accommodate the worst law breakers leaving more court time t deal with the lesser offenders.
Labours answer is to let many prisoners OUT. of prison but let all the illegals stay.
You people are incredibly dim by voting for them.
Your children will pay an awful price for your stupidity
If the island had speeding rules etc, the
Whippingham crash may not have happened today.
More needs to be done on the Island re Road Safety
Do your job properly, don’t follow in seelys dirty footprints, remember you represent the Island (well the east of it) Listen to what Farage has to say and Starmer to a point. Don’t lose focus and be drawn into the many backhanders that go on.
Just hoping he is more than a strongly worded letter … MP and gets off his backside for the islanders .. the last CON-MP was hopeless ..
A cesspit of leftist hate as ever.
Welcome to ie comments.
Leftist hate? Right Wing Extremism on full display here every day!
Shurely shome mistake here