For Women Scotland

Highlands and Islands

Constituencies:

The headline story of Highlands and Islands is  a battle between the Liberal Democrats and the SNP.  However, the contest in Inverness and Nairn where Fergus Ewing may thwart his erstwhile party will be worth watching!

Argyll and Bute

  • Callum George – Labour Party
  • Amanda Hampsey – Reform UK
  • Tommy Macpherson – Independent
  • Jenni Minto – Scottish National Party (SNP)
  • Alan Reid – Liberal Democrats
  • Mick Rice – Independent
  • Peter Wallace – Conservative and Unionist Party

Argyll and Bute is one of the safer SNP seats in the region. Jenni Minto should retain it.

Caithness, Sutherland and Ross

  • David Green – Liberal Democrats
  • Eva Kestner – Labour Party
  • Andrew Ross MacDonald – Alliance to Liberate Scotland and Sovereignty
  • Donald MacKenzie – Conservative and Unionist Party
  • Matt Sheppard – Advance UK
  • Maree Todd – Scottish National Party (SNP)
  • Steven Welsh – Reform UK

The Liberal Democrats look set to take Maree Todd’s seat for the first time since the 2011 boundary change. Jamie Stone MP was re-elected to the roughly equivalent seat in 2024 with a much increased majority over the SNP.

Inverness and Nairn

  • Neil Alexander – Liberal Democrats
  • Fred Campbell – Reform UK
  • Fergus Ewing – Independent
  • Shaun Alexander Fraser – Labour Party
  • Emma Roddick – Scottish National Party (SNP)
  • Steve Skerrett – Advance UK
  • Ruraidh Stewart – Conservative and Unionist Party

This looks set to be one of the most interesting contests. Fergus Ewing has held this seat since the birth of the Scottish Parliament. He’s now standing as an independent and has always been considered an exemplary local MSP. The SNP has put Emma Roddick – one of the less impressive voices and a party loyalist – up against him. Having taken the Inverness seat at the General Election, the Lib Dems are hoping to take advantage of any split in the vote. If Roddick cannot take the seat for the SNP, she is unlikely to return to Holyrood as she is number 3 on the list. See the Press & Journal’s analysis: Why Inverness and Nairn could be election’s most UNPREDICTABLE contest.

Moray

  • Max Bannerman -Reform UK
  • David Blair – Labour Party
  • Allan Duffy – Alliance to Liberate Scotland
  • Les Durance – Advance UK
  • Tim Eagle – Conservative and Unionist Party
  • Morven May MacCallum – Liberal Democrats
  • Laura Mitchell – Scottish National Party (SNP)

The Conservatives usually perform well in the area, but with Reform taking vote share, they may miss the chance to nab this from the SNP.

Na h-Eileanan an Iar

  • Alasdair Allan – Scottish National Party (SNP)
  • Jamie Dobson – Liberal Democrats
  • Donald MacKinnon – Labour Party
  • George MacPherson – Conservative and Unionist Party
  • Kenny Mackenzie – Alliance to Liberate Scotland and Sovereignty
  • Malcolm Ivor McTaggart – Reform UK

Likely to be a hold for SNP.

Orkney Islands

  • John William Coupland – Reform UK
  • Jamie Halcro Johnston – Conservative and Unionist Party
  • Robert Fraser Leslie – Scottish National Party (SNP)
  • Mike Macleod – Labour Party
  • Liam Scott McArthur – Liberal Democrats

A safe hold for McArthur.

Shetland Islands

  • Alex Armitage – Scottish Green Party
  • Douglas Barnett – Conservative and Unionist Party
  • Vic Currie – Reform UK
  • John Erskine – Labour Party
  • Hannah Mary Goodlad – Scottish National Party (SNP)
  • Emma Macdonald – Liberal Democrats
  • Brian Nugent – Alliance to Liberate Scotland and Sovereignty
  • Peter Tait – Independent

Shetland has been solidly Lib Dem for decades. The SNP have been eyeing greedily for some time as one of only 7 seats they have never won. The Lib Dems have put up the leader of the council, while the SNP have selected oil and gas executive Goodlad who has opposed SNP policy in this area. Likely to come in third is Reform, but no one appears to have seen the candidate who doesn’t live on the islands.

Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch

  • Andrew Phillip Baxter – Liberal Democrats
  • Helen Crawford – Conservative and Unionist Party
  • Laura Hansler – Alliance to Liberate Scotland
  • Isla McCay – Labour Party
  • Eilidh Munro – Scottish National Party (SNP)
  • Jon Whitton – Reform UK

Kate Forbe’s old seat is one of the ones to watch this election. Forbes had the biggest majority of any MSP in 2021, but the SNP and Lib Dems are now neck and neck. In the General Election, Angus McDonald was a surprise winner for the Lib Dems in Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire, so hopes are high for McDonald’s chief of staff Baxter. We don’t know where Baxter stands, but McDonald opposes the Lib Dem position on self-ID of sex. See the Scotsman article: Inside the knife-edge rural constituency that will be one of the most hotly-contested.

Regional Lists:

List votes top up the constituency votes. Candidates from political parties are ordered, so if you vote for a party on the list, it’s useful to know who the top candidates are.

Conservatives: 2-3 seats. Eagle and Halcro Johnston are predicted to return.

  1.  Tim Eagle
  2.  Jamie Halcro Johnston
  3.  Helen Crawford

Labour: 0-1 seat. Labour have never had much of a presence in the region and this is unlikely to change this election esp as long-time MSP Rhoda Grant has stood down.

  1. Isla McCay
  2. Donald MacKinnon
  3. Eva Kestner

Liberal Democrats: 0

  1. Morven May MacCallum
  2. Alan Reid
  3. Declan Gallacher

SNP: Lib Dem success in constituencies meant the SNP picked up one of their two list seats here in 2021. If Todd loses her constituency, she will likely be back on the list.

  1. Maree Todd
  2. Robert Fraser Leslie
  3. Emma Roddick

Reform: 2 seats

  1. Vic Currie
  2. Max Bannerman
  3. Amanda Hampsey

Greens: 1 seat

  1. Ariane Burgess
  2. Kristopher Leask
  3. Kate Willis

Other List Parties:

  • Advance UK
  • Alliance to Liberate Scotland For Independence
  • Independence for Scotland Party, Direct Democracy.
  • Independent Green Voice – Organic, Local, Democratic
  • Scottish Christian Party “Proclaiming Christ’s Lordship”
  • Scottish Family Party – Christian values
  • Scottish Libertarian Party
  • Scottish Rural Party
  • Scottish Socialist Party
  • Workers Party – Scotland

Independents:

  • Duncan Macpherson
  • Mick Rice
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