Former TV news broadcaster Harriet Hadfield has thrown her hat into the ring to be the Tory candidate on the east side of the Isle of Wight at the next general election. 

The Boundary Commission is going through the final stages of the process to divide the Isle of Wight into two seats for the next General Election.

Islander Harriet, a parish councillor in Nettlestone and Seaview, worked for the BBC and Sky News as an on-camera correspondent for many years, before returning to Seaview in 2020 to raise her young family. 

She lives in Seaview with her photographer partner Chris Jelf and has two sons aged four and 6 months, and two stepsons. 

Announcing the move on social media, Harriet wrote: "After many years of frontline reporting on politics and the issues that affect our everyday lives, I want to become a part of the political process that can really make a difference."

She publishes a weekly Isle of Wight email newsletter called 5-Stories, which is distributed to almost 1,000 readers, and also hosts The Island Stories Podcast. 

More than 5,000 people recently signed a petition she launched calling on Wightlink to reinstate the evening FastCat service. 

Harriet said: "This is clearly the start of a process and I know there will be other candidates with a lot to offer putting themselves forward.

‘Ultimately it’ll be up to the party members on the east side of the Island to decide who they think is best placed to return a Conservative victory.

"I hope to have the chance to highlight my record on championing the Island: fighting for better ferry provision; volunteering to support young families as a trustee of HomeStart UK and battling sewage problems."

Harriet said: ‘Bob Seely has had the honour of being the Isle of Wight’s MP since 2017. 

"In that time he has been a passionate advocate for the Island and has secured significant funding for our local community."

"I know from his recent comments he’s disappointed he’ll no longer represent the whole of the Isle of Wight after the next general election, but I’m very much hoping to work alongside him — fighting for the Island, and doubling our representation and fire-power in Westminster."