Argyll and Bute (Scottish Parliament constituency) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids 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
Population	60,394 (2019)
Current constituency
Created	1999
Party	Scottish National Party
MSP	Jenni Minto
Council area	Argyll and Bute

Argyll and Bute (Gaelic: Earra-Ghàidheal agus Bòd) is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) covering most of the council area of Argyll and Bute. 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.

The seat has been held by Jenni Minto of the Scottish National Party since the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.

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.

The Holyrood constituency covers most of the Argyll and Bute council area. The rest of the council area (which includes the town of Helensburgh) is covered by the Dumbarton constituency 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:

• Cowal, Dunoon, Isle of Bute, Kintyre and the Islands, Mid Argyll, Oban North and Lorn, Oban South and the Isles, South Kintyre.

As of 2019, Argyll and Bute's population (60,394) was the lowest among the 70 Holyrood mainland constituencies, barely two-thirds of the total of those at the top of the list, headed by Linlithgow which had over 95,000 within its boundaries.

Member of the Scottish Parliament

Election results

Argyll & Bute election results 1999-2021

2020s

2021 Scottish Parliament election: Argyll and Bute

Party		Candidate	Constituency			Regional
			Votes	%	±%	Votes	%	±%
	SNP	Jenni Minto	16,608	49.5	3.5	13,966	41.5	0.2
	Conservative	Donald Cameron	7,645	22.8	3.0	8,563	25.5	1.3
	Liberal Democrats	Alan Reid	6,874	20.5	5.2	3,659	10.9	2.1
	Labour	Lewis Whyte	2,436	7.3	1.2	2,829	8.4	0.9
	Green					2,661	7.9	0.4
	Alba Party					589	1.8	New
	Independent	Andy Wightman				423	1.3	New
	All for Unity					290	0.9	New
	Scottish Family Party					189	0.6	New
	Abolish the Scottish Parliament Party					113	0.3	New
	Freedom Alliance (UK)					67	0.2	New
	Reform UK					63	0.2	New
	Scottish Libertarian Party					60	0.2	New
	UKIP					59	0.2	2.1
	Restore Scotland					36	0.1	New
	Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition					32	0.1	New
	Independent	Hazel Mansfield				29	0.1	New
Majority			8,963	26.7	6.4
Valid Votes			33,563			33,628
Invalid Votes			165			84
Turnout			33,728	67.8	6.8	33,712	67.8	6.8
	SNP hold		Swing		0.3
Notes

2010s

2016 Scottish Parliament election: Argyll and Bute

Party		Candidate	Constituency			Regional
			Votes	%	±%	Votes	%	±%
	SNP	Michael Russell	13,561	46.0	4.6	12,327	41.7	7.8
	Liberal Democrats	Alan Reid	7,583	25.7	13.5	3,856	13.0	4.9
	Conservative	Donald Cameron	5,840	19.8	1.5	7,151	24.2	8.6
	Labour	Mick Rice	2,492	8.5	6.8	2,739	9.3	5.0
	Green					2,213	7.5	2.6
	UKIP					679	2.3	0.9
	Scottish Christian Party					193	0.7	0.2
	Solidarity (Scotland)					162	0.5	0.3
	Independent	James Stockan				153	0.5	New
	RISE					86	0.3	New
Majority			5,978	20.3	12.0
Valid Votes			29,476			29,559
Invalid Votes			116			36
Turnout			29,592	61.0	6.6	29,295	61.0	6.5
	SNP hold		Swing		9.1
Notes

2000s

1990s