Shetland (Scottish Parliament constituency)

Shetland
County constituency
for the Scottish Parliament
Shetland shown within the Highlands and Islands electoral region and the region shown within Scotland
Population22,990 (2019)[1]
Current constituency
Created1999
PartyLiberal Democrat
MSPBeatrice Wishart
Local councilShetland Islands

Shetland is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) covering the council area of Shetland. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the first past the post method of election. It is also one of eight constituencies in the Highlands and Islands electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to the eight constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

Shetland has been held by the Liberal Democrats at all elections since the formation of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, with the current MSP being Beatrice Wishart, who won the seat at a 2019 by-election held following the resignation of former party leader Tavish Scott.

Electoral region

See also: Highlands and Islands (Scottish Parliament electoral region)

Shetland is part of the Highlands and Islands electoral region; the other seven constituencies are: Argyll and Bute, Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Inverness and Nairn, Moray, Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Orkney and Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch.

The region covers most of Argyll and Bute council area, all of the Highland council area, most of the Moray council area, all of the Orkney Islands council area, all of the Shetland Islands council area and all of Na h-Eileanan Siar.

Constituency boundaries and council area

The Shetland constituency was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, in 1999, to cover the Shetland Isles council area. The constituency is protected in law due to its geographical separation from other parts of Scotland, and therefore its boundaries are not subject to review.[2] In the House of Commons of the British Parliament at (Westminster), the council area is covered by the Orkney and Shetland constituency, which also covers the Orkney Islands council area.[3]

It contains all seven of the Shetland Council wards: North Isles; Shetland North; Shetland West; Shetland Central; Shetland South; Lerwick North; Lerwick South.

Member of the Scottish Parliament

The seat was represented by Tavish Scott, former Scottish Liberal Democrats leader, from the 1999 election until he stood down in June 2019.[4] The subsequent by-election was won by Beatrice Wishart, who held the seat for the Liberal Democrats.[5]

Election Member Party
1999 Tavish Scott Liberal Democrats
2019 by-election Beatrice Wishart

Election results

Shetland election results 1999-2021

2020s

2021 Scottish Parliament election: Shetland[6][a]
Party Candidate Constituency Regional
Votes % ±% Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Beatrice Wishart[b] 5,803 48.6 Decrease18.8 3,157 26.5 Decrease9.1
SNP Tom Wills 4,997 41.9 Increase18.8 4,108 34.5 Increase7.9
Conservative Nick Tulloch 503 4.2 Increase0.5 1,865 15.7 Increase4.8
Scottish Green 1,154 9.7 Increase3.0
Labour Martin Kerr 424 3.6 Decrease2.3 1,003 8.4 Decrease0.7
Independent Peter Tait 116 1.0 New
Alba 104 0.9 New
Scottish Family 93 0.8 New
Independent Andy Wightman[c] 70 0.6 New
All for Unity 60 0.5 New
Reform UK 57 0.5 New
Restore Scotland Brian Nugent 90 0.8 New 53 0.4 New
Abolish the Scottish Parliament 49 0.4 New
Scottish Libertarian 48 0.4 New
UKIP 38 0.3 Decrease2.4
TUSC 25 0.2 New
Freedom Alliance (UK) 13 0.1 New
Independent Hazel Mansfield 9 0.1 New
Majority 806 6.7 Decrease37.6
Valid Votes 11,933 11,906
Invalid Votes 35 30
Turnout 11,968 66.0 Increase3.7 11,936 65.8 Increase3.5
Liberal Democrats hold Swing Decrease18.8
Notes
  1. ^ Showing changes from 2016 general election.
  2. ^ Incumbent member for this constituency
  3. ^ Incumbent member on the list for Lothian region, having been elected as a member of the Scottish Greens in 2016

2010s

2019 Shetland by-election[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Beatrice Wishart 5,659 47.9 Decrease19.5
SNP Tom Wills 3,822 32.3 Increase9.2
Independent Ryan Thomson 1,286 10.9 New
Conservative Brydon Goodlad 425 3.6 Decrease0.1
Scottish Green Debra Nicolson 189 1.6 New
Labour Johan Adamson 152 1.3 Decrease4.6
Independent Michael Stout 134 1.1 New
Independent Ian Scott 66 0.6 New
UKIP Stuart Martin 60 0.5 New
Independent Peter Tait 31 0.3 New
Majority 1,837 15.6 Decrease28.7
Total valid votes 11,824
Rejected ballots 11
Turnout 11,835 66.5 Increase4.2
Liberal Democrats hold Swing Decrease14.4
2016 Scottish Parliament election: Shetland[8][9]
Party Candidate Constituency Regional
Votes % ±% Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Tavish Scott[a] 7,440 67.4 Increase19.9 3,937 35.7 Increase3.8
SNP Danus Skene 2,545 23.1 Increase11.0 2,932 26.6 Decrease2.2
Labour Robina Barton 651 5.9 Decrease0.7 1,003 9.1 Decrease1.4
Conservative Cameron Smith 405 3.7 Increase0.2 1,197 10.8 Increase4.5
Scottish Green 736 6.7 Decrease0.8
Independent James Stockan 701 6.3 New
UKIP 301 2.7 Decrease1.2
Scottish Christian 116 1.1 Decrease1.0
RISE 85 0.8 New
Solidarity 33 0.3 Increase0.1
Majority 4,895 44.3 Increase27.1
Valid Votes 11,041 11,041
Invalid Votes 46 46
Turnout 11,087 62.3 Increase8.5 11,087 62.3 Increase8.5
Liberal Democrats hold Swing Increase15.5
Notes
  1. ^ Incumbent member for this constituency
2011 Scottish Parliament election: Shetland[10]
Party Candidate Constituency Regional
Votes % ±% Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Tavish Scott[a] 4,462 47.5 Decrease19.2 2,975 31.9
Independent Billy Fox 2,845 30.3 New
SNP Jean Urquhart 1,134 12.1 Decrease4.5 2,688 28.8
Labour Jamie Kerr 620 6.6 Decrease0.2 974 10.4
Conservative Sandy Cross 330 3.5 Decrease6.4 595 6.4
Scottish Green 699 7.5
UKIP 362 3.9
Liberal 319 3.4
Scottish Christian 196 2.1
All Scotland Pensioners Party 170 1.8
Ban Bankers Bonuses 153 1.6
BNP 66 0.7
Socialist Labour 65 0.7
Scottish Socialist 57 0.6
Solidarity 15 0.2
Majority 1,617 17.2 Decrease32.9
Valid Votes 9,391 9,334
Invalid Votes 37 83
Turnout 9,428 53.9 Decrease3.4 9,417 53.9
Liberal Democrats hold Swing Decrease7.4
Notes
  1. ^ Incumbent member for this constituency

2000s

2007 Scottish Parliament election: Shetland
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Tavish Scott 6,531 66.7 +20.6
SNP Val Simpson 1,622 16.6 −3.4
Conservative Mark Jones 972 9.9 −4.9
Labour Scott Burnett 670 6.8 −3.4
Majority 4,409 50.1 +24.0
Turnout 9,795 57.3 +5.5
Liberal Democrats hold Swing +12.1
Scottish Parliament Election 2003: Shetland
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Tavish Scott 3,989 46.1 −8.4
SNP Willie Ross 1,729 20.0 +5.7
Conservative John Firth 1,281 14.8 +6.1
Labour Peter Hamilton 880 10.2 −12.3
Scottish Socialist Peter Andrews 766 8.9 New
Majority 2,260 26.1 −6.0
Turnout 8,645 51.8 −6.5
Liberal Democrats hold Swing -7.0

1990s

Scottish Parliament Election 1999: Shetland
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Tavish Scott 5,455 54.5 N/A
Labour Jonathan Wills 2,241 22.4 N/A
SNP Willie Ross 1,430 14.3 N/A
Conservative Gary Robinson 872 8.7 N/A
Majority 3,214 32.1 N/A
Turnout 9,998 58.3 N/A
Liberal Democrats win (new seat)

Footnotes

  1. ^ Scottish Parliamentary Constituency (SPC) Population Estimates (2011 Data Zone based), National Records of Scotland; retrieved 6 May 2021 (accompanying summary notes)
  2. ^ "First Periodical Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries - Descriptive Booklet" (PDF). Boundary Commission for Scotland. January 2008. p. 3. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  3. ^ See The 5th Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission for Scotland Archived 21 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Former Lib Dem leader Tavish Scott to quit Holyrood". BBC News. 26 June 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  5. ^ Brooks, Libby (30 August 2019). "Shetland byelection: Liberal Democrats retain Scottish parliament seat". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  6. ^ Kerr, Bob. "Scottish Parliamentary Election 2021". Shetland Islands Council.
  7. ^ "Radio Shetland hosts by-election hustings". BBC News. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  8. ^ Sawkins, James. "Scottish Parliamentary Election 2016". Shetland Islands Council.
  9. ^ "Results and turnout at the 2016 Scottish Parliament election". The Electoral Commission. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  10. ^ "Results and turnout at the 2011 Scottish Parliament election". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 3 June 2021.