Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross (UK Parliament constituency)
Categories: Parliamentary constituencies in Scotland (Westminster)
| County constituency | |
|---|---|
| Image:CaithnessSutherlandEasterRossUKParliamentConstituency.png | |
| Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross shown within Scotland | |
| Created: | 1997 |
| MP: | John Thurso |
| Party: | Liberal Democrats |
| Type: | House of Commons |
| Council areas: | Highland |
| EP constituency: | Scotland |
Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
Until the start of the general election of 2005 it had the same boundaries as the Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross constituency of the Scottish Parliament.
Contents |
Boundaries
Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross is one of three House of Commons constituencies in the Highland council area of Scotland, the others being Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey and Ross, Skye and Lochaber. Ross, Skye and Lochaber neighbours Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, to the south. To the west, outside the Highland area, there is Na h-Eileanan an Iar, and to the north, again outide the Highland area, there is Orkney and Shetland
The constituency was first created for the 1997 general election, when Caithness and Sutherland was abolished and its area was combined with an Easter Ross area taken from the constituency of Ross, Cromarty and Skye (which was then also ablished). During much of its life the Caithness and Sutherland constituency had combined the areas of the administrative counties of Caithness and Sutherland, but, in Scotland, administrative counties were themselves abolished in 1975. The Easter Ross area is in the east of what was the administrative county of Ross and Cromarty.
When created, Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross had neighbouring constituencies as follows:
- Ross, Skye and Inverness West (Within the Highland area)
- Western Isles (Outside the Highland area)
- Orkney and Shetland (Outside the Highland area)
As a result of boundary and name changes introduced for the 2005 general election the Ross, Skye and Inverness West constituency was abolished. Most of it became part of the new constituency of Ross, Skye and Lochaber, but its Alness area became part of the Easter Ross component of Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross.
The Western Isles constituency was simply renamed as Na h-Eileanan an Iar.
Members of Parliament
- John Thurso, Liberal Democrat (2001−present)
- Robert Adam Ross Maclennan, Liberal Democrat (1997−2001)
Election results
| General Election 2005: Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Liberal Democrats | John Thurso | 13,957 | 50.5 | +11.9 | |
| Labour | Alan Jamieson | 5,789 | 20.9 | −3.4 | |
| Scottish National Party | Karen Shirron | 3,686 | 13.3 | −7.0 | |
| Conservative | Angus Ross | 2,835 | 10.2 | −3.3 | |
| Independent | Gordon Campbell | 848 | 3.1 | +2.3 | |
| Scottish Socialist Party | Luke Ivory | 548 | 2.0 | −0.2 | |
| Majority | 8,168 | 29.5 | |||
| Turnout | 27,663 | 59.1 | −2.0 | ||
| Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | +7.6 | |||
| General Election 2001: Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Liberal Democrats | John Thurso | 9,041 | 36.4 | +0.8 | |
| Labour | Michael Meighan | 6,297 | 25.3 | −2.5 | |
| Scottish National Party | John MacAdam | 5,273 | 21.2 | −1.8 | |
| Conservative | Robert Rowantree | 3,513 | 14.1 | +3.3 | |
| Scottish Socialist Party | Karn Mabon | 544 | 2.2 | N/A | |
| Independent | Gordon Campbell | 199 | 0.8 | +0.8 | |
| Majority | 2,744 | 11.1 | |||
| Turnout | 24,867 | 60.2 | −9.8 | ||
| Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | ||||
See also