Highlands and Islands 2021

Region Overview
Region Map
Overall Regional Result 2021
Argyll and Bute
Caithness, Sutherland and Ross
Na h-Eileanan an Iar
Inverness and Nairn
Moray
Orkney Islands
Shetland Islands
Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch
List Seat Allocation Process
Highlands and Islands List Candidates 2021
Minor Party Results

Description

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.

1999 Election

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)

2003 Election

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)

2007 Election

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)

2011 Election

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)

2016 Election

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)

2021 Election

As with almost every other region in Scotland, no constituencies changed hands in Highlands & Islands in 2021. However, Shetland became a marginal seat for the first time at a full election, with a massive swing to the SNP and against the sitting Lib Dems. Hell may very well freeze over in 2026, at this rate. Over on the list vote, the Conservatives experienced solid growth, and found themselves gaining a seat at Labour’s expense, the latter dropping below 10% and being left with just one MSP in a region for the first time. The Greens also experienced a much poorer election here than in any other part of Scotland, barely increasing their vote versus 2016 – perhaps in part due to former Green MSP Andy Wightman contesting the region as an Independent.

7 SNP (6 Constituency, 1 Regional)
4 Conservative (all Regional)
2 Lib Dem (all Constituency)
1 Labour (Regional)
1 Green (Regional)

Regional List Vote and MSPs Elected

To allocate list seats using the D’Hondt method, each party’s share of the vote is divided by one more than the number of seats they’ve won so far in the process. This is an important part of how the list seats then more fairly represent the diversity of views amongst voters. List votes cast for a party that has won lots of constituency seats are not “wasted”, they just aren’t needed to give their voters fair representation.

When allocating the first list seat, this starts with the number of constituencies won by each party:

The SNP won 6 constituencies, so their vote is divided by 7.
The Lib Dems won 2 constituencies, so their vote is divided by 3.
No one else won any constituencies, so their votes aren’t divided.

That then gives us this (removing the parties that clearly don’t have enough votes for clarity):

Since the Conservatives have the highest total here, they receive the first regional list seat. We add that to their total, giving them 1 seat overall so far, and therefore for the next round of allocation their share is divided by 2.

The Conservatives again have the highest total, so they receive the second regional list seat. That gives them 2 seats overall so far, and therefore for the next round of allocation their share is divided by 3.

Labour have the highest total, so they receive the third regional list seat. That gives them 1 seat overall so far, and therefore for the next round of allocation their share is divided by 2.

The Conservatives have the highest total, so they receive the fourth regional list seat. We add that to their total, giving them 3 seats overall so far, and therefore for the next round of allocation their share is divided by 4.

The Greens have the highest total, so they receive the fifth regional list seat. That gives them 1 seat overall so far, and therefore for the next round of allocation their share is divided by 2.

The Conservatives have the highest total, so they receive the sixth regional list seat. We add that to their total, giving them 4 seats overall so far, and therefore for the next round of allocation their share is divided by 5.

The SNP have the highest total, so they receive the seventh and final regional list seat. We add that to their total, giving them 7 seats overall. Therefore, the final distribution of seats across the Highlands & Islands region is:

7 SNP (6 Constituency, 1 Regional)
4 Conservative (all Regional)
2 Lib Dem (all Constituency)
1 Labour (Regional)
1 Green (Regional)

SNP

Conservative

Labour

Green

Liberal Democrat

Alba

Kirk Torrance
Craig Berry
Josh Robertson
Judith Reid

All For Unity

Reform UK

Sandra Skinner
Les Durance
Kate Brownlie
Catherine Mount

UKIP

Abolish the Scottish Parliament

Jack Malcolm

Freedom Alliance

Tina McCaffery
Emma Idzidowska
Phil Breed
Gary Cheesman
Anne McCloskey

Restore Scotland

Brian Nugent
Andrew Macdonald

Scottish Family Party

Michael Willis
Phillipp Tanzer
Shena McLelland
Sophie Hendry
Dolores Hughes

Scottish Libertarian Party

Harry Christian
Calum Liptrot

TUSC

Sean Robertson
Yolanda Piotrowicz
Luke Ivory

Independents

Hazel Mansfield
Andy Wightman

Contents

Region Overview

Region Map

Overall Regional Result 2021

Regional List Vote and MSPs Elected

Constituency Vote

Total MSPs Elected

Changes Since Election

Argyll and Bute

2021 Results

2021 MSP & Majority

2021 Candidates

Caithness, Sutherland and Ross

2021 Results

2021 MSP & Majority

2021 Candidates

Na h-Eileanan an Iar

2021 Results

2021 MSP & Majority

2021 Candidates

Inverness and Nairn

2021 Results

2021 MSP & Majority

2021 Candidates

Moray

2021 Results

2021 MSP & Majority

2021 Candidates

Orkney Islands

2021 Results

2021 MSP & Majority

2021 Candidates

Shetland Islands

2021 Results

2021 MSP & Majority

2021 Candidates

Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch

2021 Results

2021 MSP & Majority

2021 Candidates

List Seat Allocation Process

Regional List Candidates 2021

Minor Party Results

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