Highlands and Islands (Scottish Parliament electoral region)

Highlands and Islands
electoral region for the Scottish Parliament
Highlands and Islands shown within Scotland
Population	448,311 (2019)[1]
Current electoral region
Created	1999
MSPs	Scottish National Party 7 Conservative 4 Liberal Democrats 2 Labour 1 Scottish Greens 1
Council areas	Argyll and Bute (part) Highland Moray (part) Na h-Eileanan Siar Orkney Islands Shetland Islands
Constituencies	Argyll and Bute Caithness, Sutherland and Ross Inverness and Nairn Moray Na h-Eileanan an Iar Orkney Shetland Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch

The Highlands and Islands is one of the eight electoral regions of the Scottish Parliament, created in 1999. Eight of the parliament's first past the post constituencies are sub-divisions of the region and it elects seven of the 56 additional-member Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs).

The name Highlands and Islands is much older than the electoral region. The Highlands and Islands area has a large area of overlap with the Scottish Highlands, and the two names are often regarded as representing the same area.

The Highlands and Islands region is the largest of the eight electoral regions in terms of area, but the smallest in terms of population and electorate. It has boundaries with the North East Scotland, Mid Scotland and Fife and the West Scotland electoral regions.

As a result of the First Periodic Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries the boundaries of the region and constituencies were redrawn for the 2011 Scottish Parliament election.

Map	Constituency
	Argyll and Bute Caithness, Sutherland and Ross Inverness and Nairn Moray Na h-Eileanan an Iar Orkney Shetland Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch

The constituencies were created in 1999 with the names and boundaries of Westminster constituencies, as existing at that time.^[2] They covered all of four council areas,^[3] the Highland council area, Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles council area), the Orkney Isles council area and the Shetland Isles council area, and most of two others, the Argyll and Bute council area and the Moray council area:

Map

Constituency

Argyll and Bute covers most of the Argyll and Bute council area. Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross covers a northern portion of the Highland council area. Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber covers a southern portion of the Highland council area. Moray covers most of the Moray council area. Orkney covers the Orkney Isles council area. Ross, Skye and Inverness West covers a central portion of the Highland council area. Shetland covers the Shetland Isles council area. Western Isles covers Na h-Eileanan Siar.

A south-eastern portion of the Argyll and Bute area is covered by the Dumbarton constituency, which is in the West of Scotland region. An eastern portion of the Moray area is covered by the Gordon constituency, in the North East Scotland region.

The Boundary Commission also recommended changes to the electoral regions used to elect "list" members of the Scottish Parliament. Highlands and Islands was amended so as to contain the newly redrawn constituencies of Argyll and Bute; Caithness, Sutherland and Ross; Inverness and Nairn; Moray; Na h-Eileanan an Iar; Orkney Islands; Shetland Islands; and Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch.^[4]

N.B. This table is for presentation purposes only

2021 Scottish Parliament election: Highlands and Islands[5][6]
List		Candidates	Votes	Of total (%)	± from prev.
	SNP	Emma Roddick, Kate Forbes, Maree Todd, Fergus Ewing, Tom Wills, Mike MacKenzie, Robert Leslie, Rhiannon Spear, Jamie Szymkowiak, Qasim Hanif, Ken Gowans, Sarah Fanet	96,433	40.4	0.7
	Conservative	Douglas Ross, Edward Mountain, Donald Cameron, Jamie Halcro Johnston, Tim Eagle, Ella Robertson McKay, Struan Mackie, Sam Brown, Gavin Berkenheger, Nick Tulloch	60,779	25.4	3.6
	Liberal Democrats	Alan Reid, Molly Nolan, Denis Rixson, William Sinclair, Sheila Ritchie, David Gregg, Neil Mitchison	26,771	11.2	2.1
	Labour	Rhoda Grant, John Erskine, Marion Donaldson, Jo Kirby, Coilla Drake, Lewis Whyte, Shaun Fraser	22,713	9.5	1.7
	Scottish Green	Ariane Burgess, Anne Thomas, Fabio Villani, Steve Sankey, Debra Nicholson, Sand Owsnett, Topher Dawson, Lisa Jane Mead, Chris Ballance, Isabella Sumsion, Phyl Meyer, Luna Martin	17,729	7.4	0.2
	Alba	Kirk Torrance, Craig Berry, Josh Robertson, Judith Reid	3,828	1.6
	Independent	Andy Wightman	3,367	1.4
	Scottish Family Party	Michael Willis, Philipp Tanzer, Shena McLelland, Sophie Hendry, Dolores Hughes	1,976	0.8
	All for Unity	Moira Ramage, Patricia Watson, Robbie Munro, Donald Boyd, Paul Burrows, Ian Mitchell, Alistair Kennedy, Paul Bradburn	1,540	0.6
	Abolish the Scottish Parliament	Jack Malcolm	686	0.3
	Freedom Alliance	Tina McCaffery, Emma Idzidowska, Phil Breed, Gary Cheesman, Anne McCloskey	671	0.3
	Reform UK	Sandra Skinner, Les Durance, Kate Brownlie, Catherine Mount	547	0.2
	Scottish Libertarian	Harry Christian, Calum Liptrot	488	0.2
	UKIP	Robert Stephenson, Robert Scorer, Michael Burger de Fremol, Duncan Geddes, Alan Breeze, Bryan Foster	457	0.2	2.4
	Restore Scotland	Brian Nugent, Andrew Macdonald	437	0.2
	TUSC	Sean Robertson, Yolanda Piotrowicz, Luke Ivory	280	0.1
	Independent	Hazel Mansfield	219	0.1

In the 2016 Scottish Parliament election the region elected MSPs as follows:

• 7 Scottish National Party MSPs (six constituency members and one additional member)
• 3 Conservative MSPs (all additional members)
• 2 Liberal Democrat MSPs (both constituency members)
• 2 Labour MSPs (both additional members)
• 1 Green MSP (additional member)

Elected candidates are highlighted in bold.

In the 2011 Scottish Parliament election the region elected MSPs as follows:^[8]

• 9 Scottish National Party MSPs (six constituency members and three additional members)
• 2 Liberal Democrat MSPs (both constituency members)
• 2 Labour MSPs (both additional members)
• 2 Conservative MSPs (both additional members)

In the 2007 Scottish Parliament election the region elected MSPs as follows:

• 6 Scottish National Party MSPs (four constituency MSPs and two additional members)
• 4 Liberal Democrat MSPs (all constituency MSPs)
• 3 Labour MSPs (all additional members)
• 2 Conservative MSPs (both additional members)

In the 2003 Scottish Parliament election the region elected MSPs as follows:

• 5 Liberal Democrat MSPs (all constituency MSPs)
• 4 Scottish National Party MSPs (two constituency MSPs and two additional members)
• 3 Labour MSPs (one constituency MSP and two additional members)
• 2 Conservative MSPs (both additional members)
• 1 Green MSP (additional member)

Changes:

• Margaret Ewing, Scottish National Party MSP for Moray, died on 21 March 2006. The by-election was won by Richard Lochhead of the SNP.

Changes:

• Dave Petrie replaced Mary Scanlon. Scanlon resigned as an MSP in April 2006 to contest the Moray by-election following the death of Margaret Ewing. Petrie was next on the Conservative list.

In the 1999 Scottish Parliament election the region elected MSPs as follows:

• 5 Liberal Democrat MSPs (all constituency members)
• 4 Scottish National Party MSPs (two constituency and two additional members)
• 4 Labour MSPs (one constituency and three additional members)
• 2 Conservative MSP (both additional members)