Andrew John Turner (born 24 October 1953)[1] is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Isle of Wight from 2001 to 2017.

Turner announced that he would stand down at the 2017 election following reports that he had told a group of schoolchildren he thought homosexuality was "wrong" and "dangerous to society".

In 1992 Turner stood in the Hackney South and Shoreditch constituency, however fell short of a majority by 9,016 to Labour candidate Brian Sedgemore.

[15] In June 2009 his expenses were revealed by The Daily Telegraph, showing £6 spent on wrapping paper on Christmas Eve, four "life coaching" sessions costing £160, £240 for a member of staff to study GCSE maths, and £20 on cufflinks.

[16] In 2004 an employment tribunal ordered Turner to pay back compensation to Colin Hedgley, a former office manager who was found to have been unfairly dismissed.

[17] Further concern was expressed over a 2005 email his partner sent to the fees office regarding bank account details, which stated "Look forward to receiving the money – I shall then be able to spend it on lots of booze so that the forthcoming election goes in an alcoholic blur".

Turner pointed out he had the largest number of constituents in the UK, and the claims included one-off expenditure for an office move to the Riverside Centre.

[29] Walter was quoted as writing in his letter of resignation that his situation was "untenable"[29] because Turner's ex-fiancée, Carole Dennett, was exercising "dominance and control of all aspects [making it] impossible for me to do my job".

[30] Walter's resignation letter also cited "significant anomalies and ambiguities" in campaign finances[29] and the “disastrous situation” caused by the failure to meet the Royal Mail’s deadline for the free distribution of election material, due to the incompetence of Turner and Dennett.

[30] Walter concluded his letter by saying: "Your failure to provide any leadership to your campaign – or demonstrate an ability to make decisions yourself – has led to this wholly regrettable situation.

[31] On 28 April 2017, Turner spoke to a group of school children at an event to engage young people in politics, and it was reported that he said that being gay "isn't normal", is "wrong" and a "danger to society".

[32][33] Labour's election campaign chair, the MP Andrew Gwynne, said "there is no place for bigotry and hatred like this in modern society" and anyone "holding these views is" not "fit for public office".

[39][40] In late April 2007, a message on Turner's website thanked friends and political opponents for their support and reported that he was recuperating, having since attended events around the island, and was expected to make a full recovery.

On 12 February 2010, Turner's then partner Carole Dennett was involved in a verbal altercation with Isle of Wight Council leader Cllr David Pugh, in an incident which occurred outside a Charity Valentine's Ball at Cowes Yacht Haven.

[42] In January 2015, four former party chairmen called for Turner to be replaced as 2015 General Election candidate after Dennett moved in with his parliamentary aide and made him "the laughing stock of the island.