Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch (Scottish Parliament constituency)

Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) covering part of the Highland council area. 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, as well as eight constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch
County constituency
for the Scottish Parliament
Population76,018 (2019)[1]
Current constituency
Created2011
PartyScottish National Party
MSPKate Forbes
Council areaHighland
Created fromRoss, Skye & Inverness West,
Inverness East, Nairn & Lochaber

The seat was created for the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, and replaced most of the former constituency of Ross, Skye and Inverness West and part of the former Inverness East, Nairn & Lochaber constituency. The remaining portions of the two former seats (consisting mostly of the less rural area surrounding and including Inverness) was moved into a new seat called Inverness and Nairn.

The seat has been held by Kate Forbes of the Scottish National Party since the 2016 Scottish Parliament election.

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

The Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch constituency 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; Shetland. The Highlands and Islands electoral 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 Highland (council area) is represented in the Scottish Parliament by three constituencies: Caithness, Sutherland and Ross; Inverness and Nairn; Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch.

The electoral wards used in the newly created constituency of Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch are;

Member of the Scottish Parliament
ElectionMemberParty
2011 Dave Thompson Scottish National Party
2016 Kate Forbes

Election results
Skye, Lochaber & Badenoch election results 1999-2021

Elections in the 2020s
2021 Scottish Parliament election: Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch[2]
Party Candidate Constituency Regional
Votes % ±% Votes % ±%
SNP Kate Forbes[lower-alpha 1] 24,192 56.1 Increase8.5 18,220 42.0 Increase1.2
Conservative Jamie Halcro Johnston[lower-alpha 2] 8,331 19.3 Increase3.2 9,718 22.4 Increase2.4
Liberal Democrats Denis Rixson 6,778 15.7 Decrease7.1 4,244 9.8 Decrease5.0
Labour John Erskine 3,855 8.9 Decrease1.6 4,001 9.2 Decrease0.6
Scottish Green 3,985 9.2 Steady0.0
Independent Andy Wightman[lower-alpha 3] 1,199 2.8 New
Alba 789 1.8 New
Scottish Family 305 0.7 New
All for Unity 281 0.6 New
Freedom Alliance (UK) 117 0.3 New
UKIP 95 0.2 Decrease2.3
Abolish the Scottish Parliament 80 0.2 New
Reform UK 78 0.2 New
Libertarian 72 0.2 New
Restore Scotland 71 0.2 New
Independent Hazel Mansfield 68 0.2 New
TUSC 49 0.1 New
Majority 15,861 36.8 Increase12.0
Valid Votes 43,156 43,372
Invalid Votes 218 64
Turnout 43,374 68.7 Increase7.2 43,436 68.8 Increase7.2
SNP hold Swing Increase5.9
Notes
  1. Incumbent member for this constituency
  2. Incumbent member on the party list, or for another constituency
  3. Incumbent member on the list for Lothian region, having been elected as a member of the Scottish Greens in 2016

This was the largest numerical majority at the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.

2010s
2016 Scottish Parliament election: Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch[3]
Party Candidate Constituency Regional
Votes % ±% Votes % ±%
SNP Kate Forbes 17,362 47.6 Increase1.4 14,964 40.8 Decrease5.1
Liberal Democrats Angela MacLean 8,319 22.8 Decrease7.7 5,405 14.8 Decrease3.7
Conservative Robbie Munro 5,887 16.1 Increase7.2 7,327 20.0 Increase10.7
Labour Linda Stewart 3,821 10.5 Decrease2.4 3,580 9.8 Decrease1.4
Independent Ronnie Campbell 1,116 3.1 Increase1.6
Scottish Green 3,362 9.2 Increase2.7
UKIP 922 2.5 Increase0.7
Scottish Christian 548 1.5 Decrease0.7
Independent James Stockan 229 0.6 New
RISE 179 0.5 New
Solidarity 123 0.3 Increase0.2
Majority 9,043 24.8 Increase9.1
Valid Votes 36,505 36,639
Invalid Votes 139 46
Turnout 36,644 61.5 Increase5.3 36,685 61.6 Increase5.3
SNP hold Swing Increase4.6
2011 Scottish Parliament election: Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch[4]
Party Candidate Constituency Regional
Votes % ±% Votes % ±%
SNP David Thompson[lower-alpha 1] 14,737 46.2 N/A 14,680 45.9 N/A
Liberal Democrats Alan MacRae 9,742 30.5 N/A 5,909 18.5 N/A
Labour Linda Stewart 4,112 12.9 N/A 3,584 11.2 N/A
Conservative Kerensa Carr 2,834 8.9 N/A 2,968 9.3 N/A
Independent Ronnie Campbell 490 1.5 N/A
Scottish Green 2,064 6.5 N/A
Scottish Christian 689 2.2 N/A
UKIP 585 1.8 N/A
All-Scotland Pensioners Party 378 1.2 N/A
Socialist Labour 253 0.8 N/A
BNP 175 0.5 N/A
Scottish Socialist 70 0.2 N/A
Solidarity 19 0.1 N/A
Others 613 1.9 N/A
Majority 4,995 15.7 N/A
Valid Votes 31,915 31,987
Invalid Votes 154 116
Turnout 32,069 56.2 N/A 32,103 56.3 N/A
SNP win (new seat)
Notes
  1. Incumbent member on the party list, or for another constituency

Notes and references
  1. Scottish Parliamentary Constituency (SPC) Population Estimates (2011 Data Zone based), National Records of Scotland; retrieved 6 May 2021 (accompanying summary notes)
  2. "Scottish Parliamentary Elections 2021 Results". The Highland Council. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  3. Council, The Highland. "The Highland Council download - Scottish Parliamentary election 2016 | Council and government | Politicians, elections and democracy | Elections and voting". www.highland.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  4. "Results and turnout at the 2016 Scottish Parliament election". The Electoral Commission. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
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