“This deal will ensure supplies of essential food and medicine will continue, that urgent medical treatment can be accessed by those who need it and key workers can continue to come to St Mary’s and other sites.
"I am grateful to Ferries Minister, Kelly Tolhurst, for engaging in numerous conversations with me on cross-Solent travel over the past few weeks, as well Treasury ministers for signing off this support package.
"I would like to reassure Islanders that this does not mean that visitors will now be coming to the Island. It means that cross-Solent ferry operators can maintain a lifeline service which also meets the requests of the IOW NHS Trust.”