Argyll and Bute (Scottish Parliament constituency)

Argyll and Bute is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood). 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, in addition to the eight constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

Not to be confused with Argyll and Bute (UK Parliament constituency).

Argyll and Bute
county constituency
for the Scottish Parliament
Argyll and Bute shown within the Highlands and Islands electoral region and the region shown within Scotland
Current constituency
Created1999
PartyScottish National Party
MSPMike Russell
Council areaArgyll and Bute

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

The Argyll and Bute constituency is part of the Highlands and Islands electoral region; the other seven constituencies are Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Inverness and Nairn, Moray, Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Orkney, Shetland and Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch.

The 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 Argyll and Bute constituency was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, in 1999, with the name and boundaries of an existing Westminster constituency. In 2005, however, the Westminster (House of Commons) constituency was enlarged slightly.[1]

The Holyrood constituency covers most of the Argyll and Bute council area. The rest of the council area is covered by the Dumbarton constituency, which is in the West Scotland electoral region. The Argyll and Bute Westminster constituency has covered the whole of the council area since 2005.

From the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, boundary changes altered the existing Argyll and Bute constituency. All but three electoral wards of the Argyll and Bute council area were used in the creation of the new seat, namely:

Member of the Scottish Parliament
ElectionMemberParty
1999 George Lyon Liberal Democrats
2007 Jim Mather Scottish National Party
2011 Michael Russell

Election results
2016 Scottish Parliament election: Argyll and Bute
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SNP Michael Russell 13,561 46.0 -4.6
Liberal Democrats Alan Reid 7,583 25.7 +13.5
Conservative Donald Cameron 5,840 19.8 +1.5
Labour Mick Rice 2,492 8.5 -6.8
Majority 5,978 20.3 -12.0
Turnout 29,476 60.4 +6.7
SNP hold Swing
2011 Scottish Parliament election: Argyll and Bute
Party Candidate Votes %
SNP Michael Russell 13,390 50.6
Conservative Jamie McGrigor 4,847 18.3
Labour Mick Rice 4,041 15.3
Liberal Democrats Alison Hay 3,220 12.2
Independent George Doyle 542 2.0
Liberal George White 436 1.6
Majority 8,543 32.3
Turnout 26,476 53.7
SNP win (new boundaries)
2007 Scottish Parliament election: Argyll and Bute
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SNP Jim Mather 9,944 34.5 +14.9
Liberal Democrats George Lyon 9,129 31.7 -3.4
Conservative Jamie McGrigor 5,571 19.4 -0.7
Labour Mary Galbraith 4,148 14.4 -3.9
Majority 815 2.8 N/A
Turnout 28,792 58.9 +1.1
SNP gain from Liberal Democrats Swing +9.2
2003 Scottish Parliament election: Argyll and Bute
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats George Lyon 9,817 35.1 +0.2
Conservative Dave Petrie 5,621 20.1 +3.6
SNP Jim Mather 5,485 19.6 −8.9
Labour Hugh Raven 5,107 18.3 −1.8
Scottish Socialist Des Divers 1,667 5.9 N/A
Scottish Peoples Alliance David Walker 251 0.9 N/A
Majority 4,196 15.0 +8.6
Turnout 27,948 57.8 −7.0
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
1999 Scottish Parliament election: Argyll and Bute
Party Candidate Votes %
Liberal Democrats George Lyon 11,226 34.9
SNP Duncan Hamilton 9,169 28.5
Labour Hugh Raven 6,470 20.1
Conservative David Petrie 5,312 16.5
Majority 2,057 6.4
Turnout 32,177 64.8
Liberal Democrats win (new seat)

Notes
  1. See The 5th Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission for Scotland Archived 21 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
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