Bob Seely MP said: “I believe Boris has made the right decision to step aside. Despite his past strengths, he is becoming a distraction to governing Britain. I am concerned that important debates and important issues - on the Island and nationally - are being drowned out by the incessant noise from Downing Street.
“I thank Boris for his service, he’s had some big wins - and I’m sorry it has ended this way - but I believe his resignation today is the right decision for the Conservative Party, and the right decision for our country.
“I believe Boris should go now and make way for others to come forward. We need to move swiftly on. We need a new leader who has the trust and respect of his or her colleagues - and a renewed sense of purpose - to govern us through a pivotal stage in our country’s history and meet the nation’s challenges.
“We need to regroup, rebuild and get on with delivering for the people we represent.
“I will continue to deliver for the Island as I have done for the past five years. We’ve seen over £100 million of funding secured during that time which includes upgrades to our hospital, our railway and our college and we’ve seen the future of shipbuilding in East Cowes secured through our successful levelling up bid.
“In addition, we are now part of an Islands Forum that will give UK islands a collective voice in Westminster. The government has accepted in principle our case for additional funding for the Isle of Wight Council and we have already seen some funds committed. I will be talking to the council about the next steps for securing an uplift through the Fair Funding Review.
“I look forward to working with a revitalised ministerial team who can help me to continue to deliver improvements for the Island.”
