Na h-Eileanan an Iar (UK Parliament constituency)
Na h-Eileanan an Iar (/nə ˈhɪlənən ən jɪər/; Scottish Gaelic pronunciation: [nəˈhelanən əˈɲiəɾ]), formerly Western Isles, is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, created in 1918. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
Na h-Eileanan an Iar | |
---|---|
County constituency for the House of Commons | |
![]() Boundary of Na h-Eileanan an Iar in Scotland | |
Subdivisions of Scotland | Na h-Eileanan Siar |
Electorate | 20,887[1] |
Major settlements | Stornoway |
Current constituency | |
Created | 1918 (as Western Isles) |
Member of Parliament | Torcuil Crichton (Labour) |
Created from |
With around 21,000 registered voters, it has the smallest electorate of any constituency in the United Kingdom. It is expressly protected from being combined with other constituencies by the 2011 Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act.
History
editThe constituency was formed by merging areas which were formerly within the Ross and Cromarty constituency and the Inverness-shire constituency.
Na h-Eileanan an Iar is Scottish Gaelic for the Western Isles, which was the constituency's name prior to the 2005 general election. An identical constituency with the same name is used by the Scottish Parliament.
Boundaries
editThe constituency area is that of the Outer Hebrides, known also as Na h-Eileanan Siar, and the constituency has the smallest electorate in the United Kingdom, one-fifth of the size of what was, until the 2024 United Kingdom general election, the largest, the Isle of Wight, which is also an island constituency.[needs update] However, the Isle of Wight is a substantially smaller parliamentary constituency in geographical terms. It has been suggested that Na h-Eileanan an Iar could be combined with the Orkney and Shetland constituency: the resulting combined electorate would still be well below the average constituency quota. The seat's entire turnout at elections will be less than a winning candidate's vote in a rural English seat.
The Scottish Boundary Commission in 1980 proposed that the seat should be extended to include the Skye and Lochalsh areas; this was overturned at a public enquiry. Generally, considerations of geographical size, a disparate population and convenience for the MPs concerned, as well as tradition and identity, have tended to override the arguments about numerical imbalance. Furthermore, a change in the Boundary Commission's rules in 2000 added a rule which forbade Orkney or Shetland being combined with another council area. In 2011, the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011 was introduced, which prevented both Na h-Eileanan an Iar and Orkney and Shetland from being combined with any other constituency.[2]
Local government areas
editWhen created, the area of the constituency was divided between two local government areas: the counties of Ross and Cromarty and Inverness-shire. The division line was the Lewis-Harris boundary, with Lewis in Ross and Cromarty and Harris in Inverness-shire.
In 1975 the constituency area became also an island council area, known as the Western Isles council area. That same area became one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland in 1996. The council area is known also as Na h-Eileanan Siar.
Politics
editThe seat had been a two-way marginal between the Labour Party and the Scottish National Party for many years. In 2005 it became a safe seat for the Scottish National Party. This trend was reversed in the 2017 general election, when the SNP suffered a swing against them for the first time since 1997, but at the 2019 general election the constituency became a safe seat for the SNP again, but at the 2024 general election the seat heavily swung to Labour. For the Conservatives, their vote has increased in recent years, since losing their deposit in the 2005 and 2010 elections, but once again lost their deposit at the 2024 election.
During the 2014 Scottish independence referendum the constituency voted against independence by a margin of 53.42% (10,544) to 46.58% (9,195) in favour on a turnout of 86.2%[3]
The constituency is notable for having the highest percentage of Scottish Gaelic speakers of any constituency in the world.[citation needed]
Members of Parliament
editElection results
editElections in the 2020s
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Torcuil Crichton | 6,692 | 49.5 | +21.2 | |
SNP | Susan Thomson | 2,856 | 21.1 | –24.0 | |
Independent | Angus MacNeil | 1,370 | 10.1 | N/A | |
Reform UK | Tony Ridden | 697 | 5.2 | N/A | |
Conservative | Kenny Barker | 647 | 4.8 | –17.4 | |
Scottish Christian | Donald Boyd | 496 | 3.7 | N/A | |
Scottish Family | Steven Welsh | 388 | 2.9 | N/A | |
Liberal Democrats | Jamie Dobson | 382 | 2.8 | –1.6 | |
Majority | 3,836 | 28.4 | +11.6 | ||
Turnout | 13,528 | 63.7 | −4.9 | ||
Labour gain from SNP | Swing | +22.6 |
Elections in the 2010s
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SNP | Angus MacNeil | 6,531 | 45.1 | +4.5 | |
Labour | Alison McCorquodale | 4,093 | 28.3 | –5.5 | |
Conservative | Jennifer Ross | 3,216 | 22.2 | +5.7 | |
Liberal Democrats | Neil Mitchison | 637 | 4.4 | +2.7 | |
Majority | 2,438 | 16.8 | +10.0 | ||
Turnout | 14,447 | 68.6 | –0.9 | ||
SNP hold | Swing | +5.0 |
MacNeil was suspended from the SNP in July 2023. He had decided to sit as an independent MP after having an argument with the SNP Chief Whip.[9]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SNP | Angus MacNeil | 6,013 | 40.6 | –13.7 | |
Labour | Ealasaid MacDonald | 5,006 | 33.8 | +5.2 | |
Conservative | Daniel McCroskrie | 2,441 | 16.5 | +8.9 | |
Scottish Christian | John Cormack | 1,108 | 7.5 | +0.9 | |
Liberal Democrats | James Paterson | 250 | 1.7 | –1.2 | |
Majority | 1,007 | 6.8 | –18.9 | ||
Turnout | 14,818 | 69.7 | –3.5 | ||
SNP hold | Swing | –9.5 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SNP | Angus MacNeil | 8,662 | 54.3 | +8.6 | |
Labour | Alasdair Morrison | 4,560 | 28.6 | −4.3 | |
Conservative | Mark Brown | 1,215 | 7.6 | +3.2 | |
Scottish Christian | John Cormack | 1,045 | 6.6 | N/A | |
Liberal Democrats | Ruaraidh Ferguson | 456 | 2.9 | −4.6 | |
Majority | 4,102 | 25.7 | +12.9 | ||
Turnout | 15,938 | 73.2 | +7.1 | ||
SNP hold | Swing | +6.5 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SNP | Angus MacNeil | 6,723 | 45.7 | +0.8 | |
Labour | Donald MacSween | 4,838 | 32.9 | −1.6 | |
Independent | Murdo Murray | 1,412 | 9.6 | N/A | |
Liberal Democrats | Jean Davis | 1,097 | 7.5 | −0.4 | |
Conservative | Sheena Norquay | 647 | 4.4 | 0.0 | |
Majority | 1,885 | 12.8 | +2.4 | ||
Turnout | 14,717 | 66.1 | +2.0 | ||
SNP hold | Swing | +1.2 |
Elections in the 2000s
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SNP | Angus MacNeil | 6,213 | 44.9 | +8.0 | |
Labour | Calum MacDonald | 4,772 | 34.5 | −10.5 | |
Liberal Democrats | Jean Davis | 1,096 | 7.9 | +1.4 | |
Christian Vote | George Hargreaves | 1,048 | 7.6 | N/A | |
Conservative | Andy Maciver | 610 | 4.4 | −5.1 | |
Scottish Socialist | Joanne Telfer | 97 | 0.7 | −1.5 | |
Majority | 1,441 | 10.4 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 13,836 | 64.1 | +3.5 | ||
SNP gain from Labour | Swing | +9.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Calum MacDonald | 5,924 | 45.0 | −10.6 | |
SNP | Alasdair Nicholson | 4,850 | 36.9 | +3.5 | |
Conservative | Douglas Taylor | 1,250 | 9.5 | +2.9 | |
Liberal Democrats | John Horne | 849 | 6.5 | +3.4 | |
Scottish Socialist | Joanne Telfer | 286 | 2.2 | N/A | |
Majority | 1,074 | 8.1 | −14.1 | ||
Turnout | 13,159 | 60.6 | −9.5 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | –7.1 |
Elections in the 1990s
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Calum MacDonald | 8,955 | 55.6 | +7.8 | |
SNP | Anne Lorne Gillies | 5,379 | 33.4 | −3.8 | |
Conservative | Jamie McGrigor | 1,071 | 6.6 | −1.9 | |
Liberal Democrats | Neil Mitchison | 495 | 3.1 | −0.3 | |
Referendum | Ralph Lionel | 206 | 1.3 | N/A | |
Majority | 3,576 | 22.2 | +11.6 | ||
Turnout | 16,106 | 70.1 | −0.3 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | +5.8 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Calum MacDonald | 7,664 | 47.8 | +5.1 | |
SNP | Frances M. MacFarlane | 5,961 | 37.2 | +8.7 | |
Conservative | Robert J. Heany | 1,362 | 8.5 | +0.4 | |
Liberal Democrats | Neil Mitchison | 552 | 3.4 | −16.7 | |
Independent | Andrew R. Price | 491 | 3.1 | N/A | |
Majority | 1,703 | 10.6 | −3.6 | ||
Turnout | 16,030 | 70.4 | +0.2 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | –1.8 |
Elections in the 1980s
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Calum MacDonald | 7,041 | 42.7 | +12.6 | |
SNP | Ian Smith | 4,701 | 28.5 | −26.0 | |
SDP | Kenneth MacIver | 3,419 | 20.7 | +14.9 | |
Conservative | Murdo Morrison | 1,336 | 8.1 | −1.5 | |
Majority | 2,340 | 14.2 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 16,497 | 70.2 | +3.7 | ||
Labour gain from SNP | Swing | +19.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SNP | Donald Stewart | 8,272 | 54.5 | +2.0 | |
Labour | Brian Wilson | 4,560 | 30.1 | −2.2 | |
Conservative | Murdo Morrison | 1,460 | 9.6 | −1.0 | |
Liberal | Neil M. MacLeod | 876 | 5.8 | +1.2 | |
Majority | 3,712 | 24.4 | +4.2 | ||
Turnout | 15,168 | 66.5 | −1.0 | ||
SNP hold | Swing | +2.1 |
Elections in the 1970s
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SNP | Donald Stewart | 7,941 | 52.5 | −9.0 | |
Labour | Alexander Matheson | 4,878 | 32.3 | +7.6 | |
Conservative | Murdo Morrison[21] | 1,600 | 10.6 | +2.3 | |
Liberal | Neil Munro MacLeod[21] | 700 | 4.6 | −0.9 | |
Majority | 3,063 | 20.2 | −16.6 | ||
Turnout | 15,119 | 67.5 | +4.1 | ||
SNP hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SNP | Donald Stewart | 8,758 | 61.5 | −5.6 | |
Labour | Mary Doig | 3,526 | 24.7 | +5.5 | |
Conservative | Norman K. Wilson[21] | 1,180 | 8.3 | +1.4 | |
Liberal | Neil Macmillan [21] | 789 | 5.5 | N/A | |
Majority | 5,232 | 36.8 | −11.1 | ||
Turnout | 14,253 | 63.4 | −2.9 | ||
SNP hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SNP | Donald Stewart | 10,079 | 67.1 | +24.0 | |
Labour | Andrew W. Wilson[21] | 2,879 | 19.2 | −19.2 | |
Conservative | John Mackay | 1,042 | 6.9 | −11.6 | |
United Labour Party | Malcolm Macmillan | 1,031 | 6.9 | N/A | |
Majority | 7,200 | 47.9 | +43.2 | ||
Turnout | 15,031 | 66.3 | −1.4 | ||
SNP hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SNP | Donald Stewart | 6,568 | 43.1 | N/A | |
Labour | Malcolm Macmillan | 5,842 | 38.4 | −22.6 | |
Conservative | Roderick Murray MacLeod[21] | 2,812 | 18.5 | −1.7 | |
Majority | 726 | 4.7 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 23,533 | 64.7 | +3.2 | ||
SNP gain from Labour | Swing |
Elections in the 1960s
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Malcolm Macmillan | 8,565 | 61.0 | +5.9 | |
Conservative | Charles Alexander Cameron | 2,832 | 20.2 | +6.2 | |
Liberal | John Francis Matheson Macleod | 2,638 | 18.8 | −12.1 | |
Majority | 5,733 | 40.8 | +16.6 | ||
Turnout | 14,035 | 61.5 | −5.4 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Malcolm Macmillan | 8,740 | 55.1 | +1.5 | |
Liberal | Donny MacLeod | 4,894 | 30.9 | N/A | |
Unionist | Charles Alexander Cameron | 2,217 | 14.0 | −32.4 | |
Majority | 3,846 | 24.2 | +17.0 | ||
Turnout | 15,851 | 66.9 | +2.7 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1950s
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Malcolm Macmillan | 8,663 | 53.6 | +4.8 | |
National Liberal | Donny MacLeod | 7,496 | 46.4 | +3.7 | |
Majority | 1,167 | 7.2 | +1.1 | ||
Turnout | 16,159 | 64.2 | +4.7 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Malcolm Macmillan | 8,487 | 48.8 | 0.0 | |
National Liberal | John C Frame | 6,315 | 42.7 | +2.0 | |
Majority | 2,172 | 6.1 | −2.0 | ||
Turnout | 14,802 | 59.5 | −1.0 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Malcolm Macmillan | 8,039 | 48.8 | −4.4 | |
National Liberal | John Mitchell | 6,709 | 40.7 | N/A | |
Liberal | David Murray | 916 | 5.6 | −38.5 | |
SNP | Calum Maclean | 820 | 5.0 | N/A | |
Majority | 1,330 | 8.1 | −1.0 | ||
Turnout | 15,664 | 60.5 | +4.8 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Malcolm Macmillan | 8,387 | 53.2 | +7.5 | |
Liberal | Huntley McDonald Sinclair | 6,950 | 44.1 | +11.1 | |
Scottish Home Rule | David Murray | 425 | 2.7 | N/A | |
Majority | 1,437 | 9.1 | −3.6 | ||
Turnout | 15,762 | 55.7 | +2.4 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1940s
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Malcolm Macmillan | 5,914 | 45.7 | +4.7 | |
Liberal | Huntly McDonald Sinclair | 4,277 | 33.0 | N/A | |
Unionist | Iain Macleod | 2,756 | 21.3 | N/A | |
Majority | 1,637 | 12.7 | +2.6 | ||
Turnout | 12,947 | 53.3 | +6.5 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1930s
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Malcolm Macmillan | 5,421 | 41.0 | N/A | |
National Liberal | Thomas Ramsay | 4,076 | 30.9 | −23.9 | |
SNP | Alexander MacEwen | 3,704 | 28.1 | N/A | |
Majority | 1,345 | 10.1 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 12,947 | 46.8 | +10.0 | ||
Labour gain from National Liberal | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
National Liberal | Thomas Ramsay | 5,793 | 54.8 | +10.7 | |
Unionist | Iain MacAlisdair Moffatt-Pender | 4,785 | 45.2 | +21.8 | |
Majority | 1,008 | 9.6 | −2.0 | ||
Turnout | 10,578 | 36.8 | −3.7 | ||
National Liberal hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1920s
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Thomas Ramsay | 4,877 | 44.1 | −10.1 | |
Labour | John M MacDiarmid | 3,589 | 32.5 | +15.3 | |
Unionist | Iain MacAlisdair Moffatt-Pender | 2,593 | 23.4 | −5.2 | |
Majority | 1,288 | 21.6 | −14.0 | ||
Turnout | 11,059 | 40.5 | +1.4 | ||
Liberal hold | Swing | -12.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Alexander Livingstone | 4,579 | 54.2 | +14.6 | |
Unionist | William Morrison | 2,318 | 28.6 | −8.3 | |
Labour | A. G. Burns | 1,454 | 17.2 | N/A | |
Majority | 2,161 | 25.6 | +22.9 | ||
Turnout | 8,451 | 39.1 | −1.0 | ||
Liberal hold | Swing | +11.5 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Alexander Livingstone | 3,391 | 39.6 | −6.3 | |
Unionist | William Morrison | 3,158 | 36.9 | N/A | |
Independent Labour | Hugh McCowan | 2,011 | 23.5 | N/A | |
Majority | 233 | 2.7 | −5.5 | ||
Turnout | 6,549 | 40.1 | −14.0 | ||
Liberal gain from National Liberal | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
National Liberal | William Cotts | 6,177 | 54.1 | +11.6 | |
Liberal | Donald Murray | 5,238 | 45.9 | −1.4 | |
Majority | 939 | 8.2 | +3.4 | ||
Turnout | 11,415 | 54.1 | +10.5 | ||
National Liberal gain from Liberal | Swing | +6.5 |
Elections in the 1910s
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Donald Murray | 3,765 | 47.3 | ||
National Liberal | William Cotts | 3,375 | 42.5 | ||
Highland Land League | Hugh MacGowan | 809 | 10.2 | ||
Majority | 390 | 4.8 | |||
Turnout | 7,949 | 43.6 | |||
Liberal win (new seat) |
References
edit- ^ "Parliamentary Electors by Parliamentary Constituencies 2010–2015". Office for National Statistics. 24 February 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
- ^ The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011 Section 11
- ^ "Scotland Decides: SCOTLAND VOTES NO: Should Scotland be an independent country?". BBC. 19 September 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 2)
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "N" (part 1)
- ^ "Uk Parliamentary Election: Na H-Eileanan An Iar Constituency: Notice Of Poll".
- ^ "Statutory Notices UK Parliamentary General Election - December 2019". Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
- ^ "Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Western Isles) parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". Retrieved 14 December 2019.
- ^ Learmonth, Andrew (14 July 2023). "Angus MacNeil has SNP membership suspended". The Herald. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
- ^ "Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll" (PDF). UK Parliamentary Election 8 June 2017 Na h-Eileanan an Iar Constituency. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
- ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "Comhairle nan Eilean Siar - Election Office (UK Parliamentary Elections)". Cne-siar.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
- ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "Election 2010: Na H-Eileanan An Iar (Western Isles)". BBC.
- ^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f Stornoway Gazette
- ^ Kimber's UK General Election results 1974 (Oct)
- ^ Kimber's UK General Election results 1974 (Feb)
- ^ Kimber's UK General Election results 1970
- ^ Kimber's UK General Election results 1966
- ^ Kimber's UK General Election results 1964
- ^ Whitaker's Almanack, 1939
- ^ Whitaker's Almanack, 1934
- ^ Whitaker's Almanack, 1920
External links
edit- Na h-Eileanan an Iar UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2005 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
- Na h-Eileanan an Iar UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK