The placeConstituency · South East · Electorate 55,855 · 2023 boundaries

Isle of Wight East.

Conservative and Unionist Party MP Joe Robertson holds the seat on 30.6% of the vote.

Member of ParliamentJoe Robertson · Conservative and Unionist Party
CouncilIsle of Wight
Boundary set2023
ONS codeE14001303
Electorate · 2024
55.9k
Registered to vote
2024 GE — winner
30.6%
Conservative and Unionist Party · +9.8pp over Ref
Settlements
12
Largest: Ryde
Crime · per 1k pop · 3mo
20.1
data.police.uk · 12mo rolling
Dispatch
1 Jun 2026

Robertson has broken from the Conservative whip twice on the same issue -- backing the Tobacco and Vapes Bill at both Second Reading and Third Reading, against his party's majority both times. That cross-party stance on public health marks the clearest instance of independent judgment in his voting record so far. Beyond the chamber, he has attracted BBC coverage for introducing a private member's bill targeting ferry pricing in the Isle of Wight, arguing that island residents face a captive market and "rip-off prices" from ferry companies. He has also publicly challenged the government over its cancellation of the Islands Forum and organised a local jobs fair -- the kind of constituency-facing work that dominates his local press coverage.

Robertson participates in 74% of votes, slightly below the Commons average of around 80%. He votes with the Conservative majority 99.5% of the time, making his tobacco rebel votes the rare exceptions. His voting profile is strongly pro-business, tough on crime, and resistant to tax increases, with near-total opposition to Labour's worker and welfare measures. His speeches cluster around economy and jobs, local government, fiscal policy, and transport -- topics that map closely onto Isle of Wight concerns. He sits on the Health and Social Care Committee, which helps explain his tobacco policy position.

His deviations from the party average are modest but notable: he leans slightly more towards assisted dying access and consumer protection than his Conservative colleagues, and somewhat less towards criminal justice reform. Local news coverage is high in volume but neutral in tone, dominated by community, crime, and cultural stories rather than controversy. His record since July 2024 is that of an active constituency MP with a focused local agenda and rare but consistent independence on public health.

30.6%
Con vote · 2024 GE
1
Council overlapping the seat
20
Wards · 20 councillors
§ 01The local picture — wards.20 wards · 20 councillors

Ward-level direction-of-travel: who controls what, who flipped recently, who holds the line.

WardLatest winnerVotesCouncilLast cycle
Bembridge Mark Rochell643Isle of Wight RefMay 2026
Binstead Fishbourne Ian William Dore894Isle of Wight RefMay 2026
Brading St Helens Jonathan Francis Bacon780Isle of Wight RefMay 2026
Haylands Swanmore Les Kirkby437Isle of Wight RefMay 2026
Lake North Bill Nigh421Isle of Wight RefMay 2026
Lake South Ros Freeman517Isle of Wight RefMay 2026
Nettlestone Seaview Jules Hayward542Isle of Wight RefMay 2026
Newchurch Havenstreet Ashey Tony Barry638Isle of Wight RefMay 2026
Ryde Appley Elmfield Michael Lilley781Isle of Wight RefMay 2026
Ryde Monktonmead Karen Theresa Lucioni404Isle of Wight RefMay 2026
Ryde North West Reuben Loake401Isle of Wight RefMay 2026
Ryde South East Chris Way223Isle of Wight RefMay 2026
Ryde West Owen Potter355Isle of Wight RefMay 2026
Sandown North Robert Sean Newton419Isle of Wight RefMay 2026
Sandown South Frank Baldry358Isle of Wight RefMay 2026
Shanklin Central Stephen Charles Reynolds356Isle of Wight RefMay 2026
Shanklin South David John Llewellyn526Isle of Wight RefMay 2026
Ventnor St Lawrence Ed Blake627Isle of Wight RefMay 2026
Wootton Bridge Tony Raffe485Isle of Wight RefMay 2026
Wroxall Lowtherville Bonchurch Mark Jefferies621Isle of Wight RefMay 2026

Source · Democracy Club · DCLEAPIL v1.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

§ 02Settlements.12 named places

The seat’s population is concentrated in Ryde (24,009), with Sandown (12,105) as the second pole. Total population across named built-up areas: 69,627.

town 50,803village 18,824

Source · ONS Built-Up Areas · Census 2021

SettlementPop.Class
Ryde24,009town
Sandown12,105town
Shanklin9,123town
Ventnor5,566town
Rural & dispersed4,178village
Bembridge3,561village
Showing 6 of 12·All 12 settlements
§ 03Demographics.Census 2021 · vs national avg

Headline indicators.

IndicatorLocalNationalΔ
Employment rate46.1%57.1%-19%
Owner-occupied68.0%63.1%+8%
Private rented21.7%20.0%+9%
Social rented10.2%16.8%-39%

Ethnicity.

White97.2%
Asian1.0%
Black0.3%
Mixed1.3%
Other0.3%

Source · Census 2021

Population by age & sexCensus 2021 · 18 bands · click to expand
Male 48.1% Female 51.9% Median seat
MaleAgeFemale
85+
80-84
75-79
70-74
65-69
60-64
55-59
50-54
45-49
40-44
35-39
30-34
25-29
20-24
16-19
10-15
5-9
0-4

Source · Census 2021 (ONS) · % of usual residents; tick marks the median seat per band

§ 04Local economy.Income · tax · businesses · schools
Median income
£23,500
HMRC SPI · 2024
Mean income
£30,400
HMRC SPI · 2024
Businesses
2,140
VAT/PAYE-registered
Schools
23
17 primary · 2 secondary
GCSE pass
62.7%
Attainment 8: 43.3

Income tax contribution.

Total income tax£123m
Taxpayers32,000
Median per taxpayer£1,900
Mean per taxpayer£3,820

Source · HMRC SPI · ±8% confidence

Where the money flows back in.

For council finance & suppliers

This constituency is served by Isle of Wight. Each council’s service spend, peer rank and supplier list lives on its own page — open from the meta block above or the compass strip below.

For household tax breakdown

Move the income slider on My place to see income tax, NI, VAT and council tax against your earnings — the household lens.

§ 05Recorded crime.data.police.uk · 12-month rolling

Headline rate.

Per 1k pop · 3mo
20.1
-3% vs national
Monthly avg / 1k
6.7
12-month rolling
Top category
Violence & sexual offences
44% of recorded crime

By category.

Violence & sexual offences8.9
Anti-social behaviour2.1
Shoplifting2.1
Criminal damage & arson1.8
Public order1.4
Other theft1.2
Drugs0.6

Source · data.police.uk · 3-month rate per 1,000 pop

Showing 7 of 15·All 15 categories — full monthly trend & settlement breakdown
§ 06Election history.1 contest · created on 2023 boundaries

2024 — full result.

CandidateVotes%
Joe RobertsonWONCon10,42730.6
Sarah MorrisRef7,10420.9
Vix LowthionGrn6,31318.5
Emily BrothersLab6,26418.4
Michael LilleyLD3,55010.4
David GroocockInd4201.2

Turnout 34,078

Prior contests.

Created on the 2023 boundary review. 2024 General Election was the first contest on these boundaries.

Sources, methods & last update
Method The dispatch paragraphs are AI-generated from the public sources listed below. Every figure links to its source. If we’re wrong, please tell us — corrections within 48 hours.
BoundariesONS Open Geography Portal
2023 boundary review
Wards & councilsLGBCE · Democracy Club
DCLEAPIL v1.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
SettlementsONS Built-Up Areas
Census 2021
DemographicsONS · Nomis · Census 2021
National avg over 575 seats
Income & taxHMRC SPI
±8% confidence
SchoolsDfE · attainment data
Crimedata.police.uk
LSOA-aggregated · rolling 12mo
ElectionsElectoral Commission