Shetland (Scottish Parliament constituency)

Shetland (Scottish Parliament constituency). The Shetland constituency is one of the 73 constituencies used to elect members to the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood. It elects one MSP by the first-past-the-post method and is part of the wider Highlands and Islands electoral region. The constituency has been held continuously by the Scottish Liberal Democrats since the parliament's establishment in 1999, with its representatives including Tavish Scott and the incumbent, Beatrice Wishart.

Boundaries and council area

The constituency was created in 1999, under the provisions of the Scotland Act 1998, and covers a geographic area identical to that of the Shetland Islands Council local government area. It encompasses the entire Shetland archipelago, including the Mainland, the North Isles such as Yell and Unst, and the South Shetland Islands like Fair Isle. For representation in the UK Parliament, the area is covered by the Orkney and Shetland constituency. The boundaries were not altered during the reviews conducted by the Boundary Commission for Scotland prior to the 2007 or 2011 elections, remaining coterminous with the council area.

Electoral history

The constituency has been a stronghold for the Scottish Liberal Democrats and their predecessor party, the Scottish Liberal Democrats, since the first devolved election in 1999. The first MSP, Tavish Scott, succeeded the long-serving Liberal and then Liberal Democrat MP for the Westminster seat, Jim Wallace. Scott held the seat comfortably until his resignation in 2019, after which a by-election was held. This by-election was won by Beatrice Wishart of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, who successfully defended the seat in the subsequent 2021 Scottish Parliament election. The principal challengers have historically been the Scottish National Party and, to a lesser extent, the Scottish Labour Party.

Members of the Scottish Parliament

{| class="wikitable" |- ! Election !! Member !! Party |- | 1999 || Tavish Scott || Scottish Liberal Democrats |- | 2003 || Tavish Scott || Scottish Liberal Democrats |- | 2007 || Tavish Scott || Scottish Liberal Democrats |- | 2011 || Tavish Scott || Scottish Liberal Democrats |- | 2016 || Tavish Scott || Scottish Liberal Democrats |- | 2019 (by-election) || Beatrice Wishart || Scottish Liberal Democrats |- | 2021 || Beatrice Wishart || Scottish Liberal Democrats |}

Election results

In the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, Beatrice Wishart of the Scottish Liberal Democrats was re-elected with a majority of 5,118 votes over the SNP candidate, Tom Wills. The Scottish Conservatives and Scottish Labour finished third and fourth respectively. This result continued the trend of strong Liberal Democrat support in the islands, though the SNP has significantly increased its vote share since 1999. The 2016 election saw Tavish Scott win with a reduced but still substantial majority. The 2019 Shetland by-election, triggered by Scott's resignation, was notable for a strong challenge from the SNP's Ryan Thomson and a significant vote for the Scottish Greens candidate, Debra Nicolson.

Notes and references