Bob Seely

As the sixth member of his paternal family to become an MP and the second to be MP for the Isle of Wight, it probably came as little surprise to islanders when Bob Seely was elected. Previously, Seely managed to fit in careers in both journalism (as Eastern European correspondent for The Times) and the military (serving in Afghanistan and Iraq). He is a published author and continues to write academically to this day. Seely’s knowledge of defence, Russia and Eastern Europe have seen him become a member of both the foreign affairs select committee and the committee on arms export controls. Seely has highlighted the danger posed by “authoritarian but cyber-savvy regimes”, detailing ten measures he believed the UK should adopt to combat Russian aggression. Seely also co-authored a report investigating the danger of Chinese company Huawei’s involvement in building the UK’s 5G network. Seely set up the APPG for UK Islands, promoting the interests of islands such as his constituency. In July 2019, he resigned from his post as PPS in Defra after he refused to back the government on HS2 which he has criticised for “spiralling costs.”