| Orkney and Shetland | |
| Parliament: | uk |
| Map1: | OrkneyShetland |
| Map Size: | 250px |
| Map Entity: | Scotland |
| Year: | 1708 |
| Type: | County |
| Elects Howmany: | One |
| Previous: | Orkney and Shetland |
| Electorate: | 33,229[1] |
| Mp: | Alistair Carmichael |
| Party: | Scottish Liberal Democrats |
| Towns: | Kirkwall, Lerwick |
| Region: | Scotland |
| County: | Orkney and Shetland |
| European: | Scotland |
Orkney and Shetland 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. In the Scottish Parliament, Orkney and Shetland are separate constituencies.The constituency was historically known as Orkney and Zetland (an alternative name for Shetland).
In the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, 65.4% of the constituency's electors voted for Scotland to stay part of the United Kingdom.[2]
The British parliamentary constituency was created in 1708 following the Acts of Union, 1707 and replaced the former Parliament of Scotland shire constituency of Orkney & Zetland.
The constituency is made up of the two northernmost island groups of Scotland, Orkney and Shetland. A constituency of this name has existed continuously since 1708. However, before 1918 the town of Kirkwall (the capital of Orkney) formed part of the Northern Burghs constituency. It is the most northerly of the 650 UK Parliament constituencies.
The constituency is one of five "protected constituencies", the others being Na h-Eileanan an Iar, two on the Isle of Wight, and Ynys Môn, defined exclusively by geography rather than by size of electorate.[3] The constituency contains the areas of the Orkney Islands Council and the Shetland Islands Council. Before 2011 the constituency had been unique in having its boundaries protected by legislation.[4]
The constituency has the second smallest electorate of any UK parliamentary constituency, after Na h-Eileanan an Iar.[1]
The constituency has elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post since its creation in 1707.[5] [6] [7] [8] [9] The constituency has remained largely unchanged since its creation. The town of Kirkwall was added in 1918, having previously been part of Wick Burghs.
The constituency has elected only Liberal and Liberal Democrat MPs since 1950; the longest run of any British parliamentary constituency.[10] [11] At each general election from 1955 until 1979, in 1987, 2010 and again in 2017 it was the safest Liberal Democrat seat in the UK. At the 2015 general election, it was the only seat in Scotland to return a Liberal Democrat MP.
General election 1939–40:Another general election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;