Region Overview

The Highlands and Islands Region is a geographic behemoth, covering around half of Scotland’s land area. It includes all of the three Islands Councils – Orkney, Shetland and Western – and Highland, plus most of Argyll and Bute (the Lomond area is missing) and Moray (missing the area around Buckie).

Despite that tremendous geographic extent, this is by far the smallest region in terms of population. That isn’t a mere reflection of rurality, but rather partly down to the infamous Highland Clearances where landlords deliberately destroyed communities which had existed for centuries, sending them to the Lowlands or overseas to make way for sheep farming. This was not without strong resistance from many of the residents, with Land Reform becoming the key political priority by the late 19th century.

That the Liberals adopted that policy as their own would gain them long-lasting support, especially amongst crofters. They would also find strong support in the Northern Isles, although the Norse-descended, Scots speaking peoples of those islands differed greatly from the Gaels of the Highlands and Western Isles. Even at their lowest ebb in the 50’s when they had just 6 MPs across the UK, one of those was Orkney and Shetland. As they began to revive in the 60’s, this was first seen in Highland seats, and by the 90’s the freshly merged Liberal Democrats had become dominant in western and northern Highlands.

At the same time, the SNP tended to be very strong in Moray. They also had enough support across the region that, during the First Past the Post era of European Elections, their solitary MEP Winnie Ewing represented the region. Labour had pockets of support in Caithness, Sutherland and Inverness, and the two parties regularly battled it out for the Western Isles. Even when various strands of Liberalism were the strongest force in the Highlands, the region was often more politically diverse than the Central Lowlands.

In line with general Westminster patterns, the first election saw the Lib Dems sweep to victory in most consituencies, winning both Northern Isles seats plus three of the five covering the mainland. The SNP took the other two, holding Moray and wresting the Inverness seat from Labour, compared to the 1997 UK General Election, though Labour won the Western Isles. Interestingly enough, the Lib Dems came third in the proportional list vote, with the SNP leading and Labour second. That meant those two parties won the lion’s share of list seats, leaving the remaining two for the conservatives.


5 Liberal Democrat (all Constituency)
4 SNP (2 Constituency, 2 Regional)
4 Labour (3 Regional, 1 Constituency)
2 Conservative (all Regional)

In terms of MSPs elected, the Highlands and Islands were actually tied for the least diverse, against historic trend. There were no changes to constituencies and the SNP managed to hold on better than elsewhere, so it was Labour who lost a list seat, whilst the difference was made up by a Green MSP.


5 Liberal Democrat (all Constituency)
4 SNP (2 Constituency, 2 Regional)
3 Labour (2 Regional, 1 Constituency)
2 Conservative (all Regional)
1 Green (Regional)

As the rainbow faded in 2007, the region went back to the four Westminster parties. Growth for the SNP saw them gain the Western Isles from Labour and Argyll and Bute from the Lib Dems, giving them a lead in seats for the first time despite it being their third lead in votes.


6 SNP (4 Constituency, 2 Regional)
4 Liberal Democrat (all Constituency)
3 Labour (all Regional)
2 Conservative (all Regional)

As part of the SNP’s surprise 2011 majority, the complete collapse of the Lib Dems saw them lose all of their mainland constituencies, only holding onto the two Northern Isles seats. With Labour dropping a seat, the Conservatives remaining relatively weak, and no Green breakthrough, the SNP also won three of the list seats, giving them a commanding nine out of fifteen seats overall.


9 SNP (6 Constituency, 3 Regional)
2 Liberal Democrat (all Constituency)
2 Labour (all Regional)
2 Conservative (all Regional)

Though they held all of their constituencies, this region saw one of the SNP’s steepest drops in terms of the list vote, and thus the loss of two seats. A near doubling of the Conservative vote handed them an additional seat, whilst SNP MSP-turned-Green John Finnie held his seat under that new banner.


7 SNP (6 Constituency, 1 Regional)
3 Conservative (all Regional)
2 Liberal Democrat (all Constituency)
2 Labour (all Regional)
1 Green (Regional)

(Note: This section is based on the national polling averages as of the 1st of April.)

With the SNP riding high in the polls and the Lib Dems being immovable objects in the Northern Isles, it may seem unlikely that there will be any changes to constituencies. However, shifting voting patterns since 2016 may still have two constituencies in play.

The Conservatives won the UK Parliament’s Moray constituency in 2017, and held it with a narrow majority in 2019. With slightly better polling or a strong local campaign, they may pull it off. It’s a similar story for the Lib Dems in Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, who hold the roughly equivalent Westminster seat of Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross.

We’re still more likely to see changes via the regional list seats, however. Labour are at serious risk of dropping to a single MSP in the region, and though the Conservatives are more secure in their current haul, they could drop one on a bad day. Prospective gains would be for the Lib Dems – if they haven’t already gained CSR -, the SNP, or the Greens on much more of a stretch, this being a region they occasionally project to a second MSP on their very best polling figures.

Region Map

Overall Regional Result 2016

Regional List Vote and MSPs Elected


#1: Conservative - Douglas Ross
#2: Labour - Rhoda Grant
#3: Conservative - Edward Mountain
#4: Conservative - Donald Cameron
#5: Green - John Finnie
#6: SNP - Maree Todd
#7: Labour - David Stewart

Constituency Vote

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Total MSPs Elected


7 SNP (6 Constituency, 1 Regional)
3 Conservative (all Regional)
2 Liberal Democrat (all Constituency)
2 Labour (all Regional)
1 Green (Regional)

Changes Since 2016


Conservative Regional MSP Douglas Ross resigned after being elected as MP for Moray in June 2017. He was replaced by Jamie Halcro Johnston .

Liberal Democrat Shetland Constituency MSP Tavish Scott resigned to take up a new post in June 2019. The Lib Dem candidate Beatrice Wishart held the seat at the resulting by election.

Regional List Candidates 2021

  1. Emma Roddick
  2. Kate Forbes
  3. Maree Todd
  4. Fergus Ewing
  5. Tom Wills
  6. Mike MacKenzie
  7. Robert Leslie
  8. Rhiannon Spear
  9. Jamie Szymkowiak
  10. Qasim Hanif
  11. Ken Gowans
  12. Sarah Fanet
  1. Douglas Ross
  2. Edward Mountain
  3. Donald Cameron
  4. Jamie Halcro Johnston
  5. Tim Eagle
  6. Ella Robertson McKay
  7. Struan Mackie
  8. Sam Brown
  9. Gavin Berkenheger
  10. Nick Tulloch
  1. Rhoda Grant
  2. John Erskine
  3. Marion Donaldson
  4. Jo Kirby
  5. Coilla Drake
  6. Lewis Whyte
  7. Shaun Fraser
  1. Ariane Burgess
  2. Anne Thomas
  3. Fabio Villani
  4. Steve Sankey
  5. Debra Nicolson
  6. Sand Ownsett
  7. Topher Dawson
  8. Lisa Jane Mead
  9. Chris Ballance
  10. Isabella Sumsion
  11. Phyl Meyer
  12. Luna Martin
  1. Alan Reid
  2. Molly Nolan
  3. Denis Rixson
  4. William Sinclair
  5. Sheila Ritchie
  6. David Gregg
  7. Neil Mitchison
  1. Kirk Torrance
  2. Craig Berry
  3. Josh Robertson
  4. Judith Reid
  1. Moira Ramage
  2. Patricia Watson
  3. Robbie Munro
  4. Donald Boyd
  5. Paul Burrows
  6. Alastair Kennedy
  7. Paul Bradburn
  1. Sandra Skinner
  2. Les Durance
  3. Kate Brownlie
  4. Catherine Mount
  1. Robert Stephenson
  2. Robert Scorer
  3. Michael Burger de Frémol
  4. Duncan Geddes
  5. Alan Breeze
  6. Bryan Foster
  1. Tina McCaffery
  2. Emma Idzidowska
  3. Phil Breed
  4. Gary Cheesman
  5. Anne McCloskey
  1. Brian Nugent
  2. Andrew Macdonald
  1. Michael Willis
  2. Phillipp Tanzer
  3. Shena McLelland
  4. Sophie Hendry
  5. Dolores Hughes
  1. Harry Christian
  2. Calum Liptrot
  1. Sean Robertson
  2. Yolanda Piotrowicz
  3. Luke Ivory
  • Hazel Mansfield
  • Andy Wightman

Argyll and Bute

2016 Results

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2016 MSP & Majority


SNP: Mike Russell
Majority: 5978 (20.3%)
Turnout: 60.9%

2021 Candidates

SNP: Jenni Minto
Conservative: Donald Cameron
Labour: Lewis Whyte
Liberal Democrat: Alan Reid

Caithness, Sutherland and Ross

2016 Results

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2016 MSP & Majority


SNP: Gail Ross
Majority: 3913 (12.1%)
Turnout: 58.5%

2021 Candidates

SNP: Maree Todd
Conservative: Struan Mackie
Labour: Marion Donaldson
Liberal Democrat: Molly Nolan
Freedom Alliance: Tina McCaffery
Libertarian: Harry Christian

Na h-Eileanan an Iar

2016 Results

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Note: “CHR” is the Scottish Christian Party. In most cases I’ve parties that didn’t contest every region in an “Other” column at the end, but given the remarkably strong support in this constituency it seemed sensible to specifically highlight the party.

2016 MSP & Majority


SNP: Alasdair Allan
Majority: 3496 (26.5%)
Turnout: 61.0%

2021 Candidates

SNP: Alasdair Allan
Conservative: Gavin Berkenheger
Labour: Shaun Fraser
Liberal Democrat: Neil Mitchison
Independent: Callum MacMillan

Inverness and Nairn

2016 Results

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2016 MSP & Majority


SNP: Fergus Ewing
Majority: 10857 (28.3%)
Turnout: 57.8%

2021 Candidates

SNP: Fergus Ewing
Conservative: Edward Mountain
Labour: Rhoda Grant
Green: Ariane Burgess
Liberal Democrat: David Gregg
Restore Scotland: Andrew MacDonald

Moray

2016 Results

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2016 MSP & Majority


SNP: Richard Lochhead
Majority: 2875 (8.6%)
Turnout: 54.0%

2021 Candidates

SNP: Richard Lochhead
Conservative: Tim Eagle
Labour: Jo Kirby
Liberal Democrat: Sheila Ritchie
UKIP: Robert Stephenson

Orkney Islands

2016 Results

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2016 MSP & Majority


Liberal Democrat: Liam McArthur
Majority: 4534 (43.0%)
Turnout: 62.0%

2021 Candidates

SNP: Robert Leslie
Conservative: Sam Brown
Labour: Coilla Drake
Liberal Democrat: Liam McArthur

Shetland Islands

2016 Results

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2016 MSP & Majority


Liberal Democrat: Tavish Scott
Majority: 4895 (44.3%)
Turnout: 62.3%

2021 Candidates

SNP: Tom Wills
Conservative: Nick Tulloch
Labour: Martin Kerr
Liberal Democrat: Beatrice Wishart
Restore Scotland: Brian Nugent
Independent: Peter Tait

Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch

2016 Results

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2016 MSP & Majority


SNP: Kate Forbes
Majority: 9043 (25.6%)
Turnout: 61.5%

2021 Candidates

SNP: Kate Forbes
Conservative: Jamie Halcro Johnston
Labour: John Erskine
Liberal Democrat: Denis Rixson