Island Echo spoke with Conservative Party candidates Joe Robertson (Isle of Wight East) and Bob Seely (Isle of Wight West) to ask why Islanders should trust them with their vote in the General Election on 4th July. The Isle of Wight has been a Conservative Party stronghold since 2001 when Andrew Turner was elected. There have been a total of 9 Conservative MPs throughout history with the 1st – William Holmes à Court – elected back in 1837. Bob Seely has successfully navigated 2 terms as MP since his election back in 2017. However, changes in the constituency boundaries have seen his constituency split in half with what was one of the largest seats in the country becoming one of the smallest.
Joe Robertson is contesting Isle of Wight East for the Conservatives. Joe grew up in St Helens before heading to London during his university studies. Having earned his degree in Geography from University College in London, Joe then undertook a law conversion course, practising in both London and Southampton before he came back to the Island – this time with his wife – and settled in St Helen’s once again. The couple now have 2 children. A former student of Ryde School and current Isle of Wight Councillor for Bembridge, Joe’s current day job sees him work as an advisor to a national nursing charity. His favourite place on the Island is St Helen’s Duver, because of the lengthy beach and nearby woodland. Joe recalls many a happy time making tree houses on the old golf course when he was a nipper and takes his children down to the beach when he can. 
What do you love about Island life and what do you do to relax? We have a little boat with an outboard on it so that’s what I used to do. My children like to enjoy the beach and the boat – like I did as a kid – and I occasionally take a rod down with me, but most of the time I fail to catch anything. If your party didn’t exist who would be getting your vote? I would encourage people to vote for the best candidate for the East Wight, regardless of party. Why did you join your party and why did you decide to stand? I joined the Conservative Party in 2001 when I was still at school because I identified with the party and its campaign at the time. I wanted to go into public office, and that’s a thing I wanted to do for a very long time. Being a councillor was a great start, but to be able to represent in parliament is a progression of wanting to do my upmost to represent the community. What was your initial reaction when the General Election was called? I think we were all geared up for an autumn election but when something like that happens, you don’t really have time to think. You go straight into election mode, so I was ordering campaign materials that evening ready to go. We were already out and about talking to people on the doorsteps, so we were in a good place, even with such a short campaign period ahead. What do you think is the biggest concern facing the Island and its residents? I think the biggest concern is the money in peoples’ pockets, jobs, investment and opportunity. Without money in your pocket, it’s very difficult to do what you enjoy doing, and it all has a knock-on effect in terms of money for schools and healthcare. If elected, are you confident of working with a non-Conservative Government if the Tories lose power? I want Rishi Sunak to return to number 10, and I want a Conservative Government because I think its best for the country and the Island, but if that doesn’t happen, I can work with a Government under the control of a different party. Why should Island Echo readers put their faith in Joe Robertson and the Conservative Party on Polling Day? I grew up here, and it’s where I am bringing my family up. I’m committed to the Island and its residents. Hopefully, I have shown that I am dedicated and work hard, and that my experience will be valuable up in Westminster
On the other side of the Island, Bob Seely is contesting Isle of Wight West for the Conservatives. Robert Seely was educated at Harrow. His family has lived on the Isle of Wight for 6 generations and a number of his cousins are still here. He moved to the Island 14 years ago and currently lives in Mottistone. Bob has always loved the Island. Bob – a massive believer in public service – was an army reservist, who was then given a full-time role for 10 years. He has been on no less than 4 tours of Afghanistan and spent 8 months in Iraq, combatting the insurgency in 2008-9. He also spent 3 months in the campaign against ISIS, the so-called Islamic State. Before becoming a full-time soldier, Bob worked for the MTV music channel. He has an MA from Birbeck College in London and has written a book on the Russo-Chechen conflict. Former MP Seely has many favourite places on the Island including Newton Creek and an area on the outskirts of Chillerton where he used to live. 
What do you love about Island life and what do you do to relax? I’ve always loved the Island, and it’s been a privilege to be the Island’s single MP I love walking, swimming and playing the guitar, as well as making and baking bread. I used to give talks on the link between art and the local landscape, and it’s something I’d love to write a book about in the future. If your party didn’t exist who would be getting your vote? It does exist, and it would go to an intelligent conservative party that hopefully is the Conservative Party. I don’t believe in socialism. I lived in Eastern Europe and saw the consequences of communism and socialism, and it didn’t work. I come from a liberal background, and my ancestors were radical liberals, but I would vote Conservative. Why did you join your party and why did you decide to stand? I first became a Conservative councillor 11 years ago in 2013 (Central Wight ward). I thought: ‘Why not get involved?’ I knocked on every door on my patch. In 2017, I was re-elected with 75% of the vote. In 2017, I was selected as Conservative candidate for the Isle of Wight and have been the MP since then. What have been the highlights during your tenure as MP for the Isle of Wight? I love getting a better deal for the Island and being its local champion. I’ve tried to make sure we have received as much Government money as we can. I am proud of the work securing the £48million for the St Mary’s Hospital upgrades and working with the council to save Columbine in East Cowes because we nearly lost it. But it’s all been about getting a better deal for the Island, and I wouldn’t want to be MP anywhere else in the United Kingdom. How do you feel about the change in the constituencies? There’are pros and cons. A lot of people may say, ‘why can’t we keep it as one because it was really useful when it came to dealing with ministers’. My worry with 2 MP’s is it increases the likelihood of arguments and disagreement. But if it does work well, then it will be a better deal. I’ve got mixed feelings, and I’m sad to be the last MP for the Isle of Wight. What do you think is the biggest concern facing the Island and its residents? It would be the ferries. It’s all well and good having an idea on a placard or the back of fag packet,but you need evidence, and it took some 6-8 months to compile the ferry report. We know the problems, and it’s great that we can put forward the evidence to back it up. But what the Alliance Council have done with education on the Island is not good enough.
What a load of rubbish .. let’s hope we see / hear the last of them both on Thursday .. Bob your inaction for the good of the island is the reason you are not returning Boris & Penny cannot help you .. your done ..
Just think what kind of future you want. Do you want a country run by hateful racists? Do you want a country run by bigoted idiots who won’t tolerate many faiths? Do you want a country that judges people by the colour of their skin? Of course you don’t. Be kind and tolerant because that is what this great country is famous for. Vote for someone with a good heart full of love for others.
Reforms deputy leader is half Pakistani
Bigotry is not restricted to those with white skin
When Reform’s own candidates are calling the party “full of racists and misogynists”, you know you’ve found a great band of people.
That won’t be Seeley and co then….He only loves himself….and doesn’t think of others.
Nobody mentioned Reform.
Georgie David has left Reform and will no longer stand for election because the “vast majority” of Reform candidates are “racist, misogynistic and bigoted”. There you have it straight from the horse’s mouth.
Of course Labour are popular with those who breed large families, as can’t believe their luck they get others to pay more for each child they impose upon our society , and that they have found a country whose people have been so brainwashed by ‘race hate’ that they now afraid to speak out against anything they do wrong.
With the help of the BBC etc even white girls being gang raped in Rochester and Rochdale was given minimum coverage. If it had been whites gang raping their children, it would never be dropped from the news and new laws would be made for race rape. Vote Reform, people are sometimes racist for a reason
i will be voting reform
Seely gets asked who he would vote for if the conservatives didn’t exist, and his answer is… Conservative, wow.
Surely it now has to be Reform, for the Conservatives have had ample time to sort out the problem, and now as we see in France, eventually people have to vote on NATIONAL issues, not just local problems.
As a truly ‘never ending’ stream of illegals will keep coming into the UK, then the cost of funding them all, will fall on ‘us’ not MP’s, so as time goes on, more arrive, more give birth, then time will make ‘this’ problem worse, NEVER better.
So this time I suggest we vote Reform, even if only as a wake up call to main parties that NOW enough is enough, before we are a third world ourselves.
You spelled Racists incorrectly. The Racist Party will be lucky to get 4 MP’s. But at least they’ve exposed those among us who would light the fires and turn on the showers.
Most “people” writing in the Island Echo comments section are the same person. He uses many names but seems to spend his whole day writing these racist and bigoted rants in response to any news items. Must also be turning his internet on and off so he can use different names and give himself repeated thumbs up, and thumbs down to anyone who disagrees with him. He gives himself away with repeated uses of the same language. Evidently, he is retired, bitter, and twisted, and knows nothing of what life is like in the rest of the UK.
You like Fascism?? Better get your brown shirt nicely pressed for tomorrow
Received another vote Joe Robertson leaflet through my letterbox.
Very noticeable on this leaflet is a column stating that ” it’s Joe v Labour for East Wight MP.
States in the article column that “Reform will not win here so a vote for them will help deliver a Labour MP”
How very arrogant of you to state this. Previously voted Conservative all of my life, but there is not a chance in hell of me ever doing this again. All that the Conservatives have done during their past tenure is continuously lie, break stringent Covid protocols when they were placed so strictly on members of the public, blatantly lied about hundreds of millions of pounds going to the NHS after Brexit. Reform all the way, and hope you suffer a humiliating loss.
Pretty sure Farage also spread some serious NHS related Brexit lies..??
How do you work that out? Check the funding on the NHS. Believe it or not, it’s gone up like Boris and Nigel said and not to fair away from the amount they said. It’s not our fault the NHS is a money Pitt that no amount of money would sort out. It’s wasteful from the top down. I’m a million miles away from being a tory supporter, but if you are going to talk crap at least know what you are talking about. Tell me different?
Mos of the money is going to companies now employed by the NHS in the Tories surreptitious privatising. Its chaos at St Marys with a private company running some of the appointments, Ive had a letter for a given date which actually was after the appointment date. These companies are there for one reason-PROFIT at our expense.
blame the liar Mass Weapons Tony for that
he certainly did.
remember his TV advert about the NHS
2 scenes
1st scene, [without Brexit] massive queues,.. loads of foreigners, no chance of getting an appointment this year,… (almost prophetic of they way it is now)
2nd scene,.. [with Brexit] no queues @ doctors, pleasant helpful receptionists, appointment as soon as you need one.. (a bit like Private is now [I imagine,.. I can’t afford that])
When it comes to starving public services of funds & giving it all to the Rich,.. Faridge & his ‘Reform’ are even worse that the CONservatives. Just look at who he is, & how the Deform party is funded…
Yep. He was lying through his teeth on Question Time saying he would send migrants straight back to France.
Like the French won’t have anything to say about it.
If ultra nationalist LePen gains power they will do nothing to stop them coming here and certainly won’t take any back.
Same as all politicians, the mouth opens and the lies fall out like Victoria Falls.
As to voting for any of them will be hard as I have no idea who they are apart from a glossy piece of junk mail through my door, what happened to real election campaigning when they actually came to your door?
Had 4 of them I would like to return them, but where do I pist them as the other parties blocked my toilet?
He’s right.
The front runners are Labour, Conservative and Reform according to the polls.
So, yes, please split the right-wing vote by voting Reform and give us two Labour MPs
(Seely’s already toast in the West)
“..Seely has many favourite places on the Island including Newton Creek..”
Where is this Newton Creek you speak of?
Seely, in that last pic he needs a Fez and saying “Just like that” now Tommy Cooper was a good comedian, but ol’ sausage bob isn’t a comedian, he is the joke, liar, doesn’t care about the island until he senses defeat and he WILL be defeated this time around, bye bye bob.
Check how much he doesn’t care here.
https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/25645/bob_seely/isle_of_wight/votes
And as for Joe whoever, yet another waste of space.
Well that was a very interesting read
He didn’t vote for much of anything
It really shows how rotten this man is.
Rotten to the core. He will never be a leader all ways a following puppet
He’s primarily a bootlicker.
Thought he had a safe seat enabling him to concentrate of climbing the greasy pole of ministerhood instead of working for his constituency.
Let’s show him the error of his ways.
I really hope both of you get kicked into oblivion for what you and the abhorrent party you represent have done over the last 14 years,and labour will be no better
utter charlatans .
They’ve served us so well, they’ve served the NHS better than anyone else, they’ve tripled the national debt. Anyone not voting Conservative is delusional. Tories are the only ones that care about us.
Whilst always voted Conservative, I can do so no more. They are not the Party they once were.
Trying to gain voters from all has in itself alienated those core voters who are tired of seeing more money given to workshy, or immigrants who oughtn’t even be in Europe let alone the UK.
I say let those Reform chappies take a turn and lets for once, and only once, agree with the French and stop this Northern Europe infestation before our cultures are one vile hotchpotch.
There are sound reasons why NO firms invest in Africa, not even call centres, and it is NOT because of the climate, but the people.
Not coincidence that wherever they choose to impose themselves en-masse ends up in the same poverty, crime and overcrowding.
I think you’ll find the Conservative Govt have invested quite heavily in Africa. Half a Billion £’s to Rwanda for a start
Can’t wait for the lefty voters to start throwing insults…
One thing you won’t get from them is an informed debate… just insults…
Brings to mind the phrase ‘the lefties complain when the Conservatives are in government because they think no-one is on their side. They still complain when Labour are in government because they know no-one is on their side’.
Says someone throwing insults.
I have to accept that Reform could well be the best choice, not necessarily for the Island, but certainly for the Country, which in turn effects us all here too.
The cost of keeping a never ending flotillas contents will eventually impoverish us so much, that as we are already witnessing, our own people suffer.
This will in turn mean we cannot help ourselves, let alone the worlds undoubted needed anymore.
So I have changed my thoughts and will indeed vote Reform this time, as our Country needs them, more than the Island needs any particular party.
I respectfully suggest you all vote Reform, and lets make a difference.
Once again, somebody’s my name in vain to promote a racist and homophobic party.
Don’t vote Deform unless you are ready for an autocratic, voiceless government where control of power is all important (much like the conservatives) and hatred of non white British people is essential.
The security on this site is appalling.
More plastic qwerty comments. Come on plastic qwerty, try to be funny or witty or something.
Will be glad to see Bob voted out on Thursday night.
Let’s see how much Bob ‘loves’ the Island if he loses his seat. He doesn’t even own a property here.
Have been listening to Nigel’s speeches and he seems to be the only straight speaking candidate we have.
I understand he is an unknown quantity, yet I feel now is the time to give his party the chance for real change, as we have had years of watching our country being ruined, we have had our own indigenous culture blown up by terrorists, had our children gang raped in Rochester and Rotherham, had Police with head cut off and paraded on a pole, had a Army drummer boy beheaded, watched our Capital city burn in riots, Christ, what more PROOF do we need to know that NOW is the time to vote change, so vote REFORM
“he seems to be the only straight speaking candidate we have”
Ha Ha Ha HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa HaHa Ha
LMAO!! Best comment on here.
Do not vote Deform
Vote Tory
I understand that Reform, like Conservatives, have little chance of getting into No 10, but if we vote Reform, we will be sending a strong message to whoever is in power that the British people have, like the French, now had enough of being used as a dumping ground for any chancer who wants to naturally better their life, yet at the expense of ours.
So many are not grateful to be in a nice safe, decent country, and to gain all the things our ancestors worked hard, fought and some died for.
They think it is now ‘their right’ to take, to breed huge and often scattered broken costly families which we then have to support.
Time to end the madness time too, and for, Reform.
If you vote Reform, you will be sending a strong message that you are racist, misogynistic, homophobic, and bigoted. We all know that there are many people like this in the country, but the vast majority are decent and fair. Vote Labour for a kinder country run by good people.
Getting worried are we?
or have you already overstayed?
not wanted,not welcome!
i must be a racist bigot then?
no,just a realist.
vote labour, c’mon, pay those taxes people!
Since Le Penn has done so well in France, then I fear a new concentrated number of migrants will be heading to the UK now.
So with some regret, I have decided we do need to vote for Reform, as our country will not be able to cope with the massive onslaught from across the channel now.
So sorry for leading you astray in earlier postings, but truly I feel we may well need Reform this time around.
Reform aren’t interested in keeping Imigrants out,.. (unless there’s money to be made from it,.. like the only reason Faridge wanted Brexit was ‘cos it would make him richer…)
it’s all just carefully couched Hate Speach to fire people up and turn their dissatisfaction with the last 14 years of Tory crap, into active racisist /homophobic fear,… (just like Hitler did)
to instill a fear of being nice to others,.. of humanity… just in case they end up getting something that you don’t
What they Deform really want (even more than the CONservatives) is the money out of your pockets (and bank account.. Secretly it’s all about them getting richer,.. but making the public do it all for them….
Funny how a far right extreme nationalist party gaining power in France will make our migrant problem worse considering they are basically the same as Reform.
Farage is lying to you. He can do nothing about the migrants and he certainly can’t send them back to France as he claims he can.
The French won’t allow it, now, let alone if LePen is running the show.
This is your chance to do the right thing for yourself and your children. We owe them at least a safe a life as possible, in their own country. That cannot be assured all the time we are allowing a never ending number of boats to spill their contents onto our shores, all unknown, unchecked, and all costing us so much money that our services are cut to keep people we never even wanted here.
So vote even if like many of us, you are sick of MP’s lies, but you can see for yourself that allowing in a never ending number of poor people can only add to all our problems so lets give Reform a chance.
Ever considered that the rich people much like those of Reform LTD are the ones harbouring all the money, not the poor immigrants
I am guessing that you live off the state, and don’t understand that you are forcing other people to fund your lifestyle?
Even if I am wrong, your naivety is showing Every one of these immigrants will EVENTUALLY be in a home. As they come here with nothing then that home costing hundreds of thousands will have to be paid for by taxpayers.
All will get NHS treatment all countless offspring will get expensive education and IF one parent eventually works, their low income will NEVER cover what they are given for free, housing, c.tax, NHS care, education, pensions, child benefits, tax credits, etc
If you had worked hard saved and were the one funding such you would see it differently.
Vote Reform
“you are forcing other people to fund your lifestyle?”
no,.. that’s what Faridge is trying to do
You have no idea what you’re talking about, if you’re a racist you can just admit it! The billionaires will not share their tax haven money with you even if you suck up to them.
Reform are getting rid of the NHS and making you all pay for private health insurance. It’s in the manifesto.
That is one of their policies, yes.
It makes me think, all the island candidates have said they are going to do this and that,but not one of have said what they are going to do for veterans that are on the island. Unless one of them come up with a answer they won’t get my vote
Bugger all as usual, they are all too busy looking after others in 4 star hotels to spend any money on people like us.They bang on about all the MPs who have “served” but we all know they were just Ruperts, half a sausage Seeley included.I will vote reform on the basis that i served my country and i would like to see someone who is passionate about patriotism doing the same, and i don’t get that feeling from any of the others. If you need help on the island you can always contact SSAFA, they are there for people like us.
Will either of these guys do anything about the
excessive ferry fares us locals have to pay when
travelling to the mainland.
No, no they won’t because if and when they appear, usually every 5 years, someone else foots the bill
Former MP Seely has many favourite places on the Island including Newton Creek has he gone all ready
As we reflect upon the last 14 years of Government who better to sum things up than Jonathan Pie. Cut and paste this link into your YouTube search box cKAeO-5saqQ
Pie for PM!
Why don’t you stand for MP?