Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber: MP, 2024 result and local figures
Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party) is the MP for Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber, elected at the general election of 4 July 2024. On 4 July 2024 Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party) won 15,582 votes, 34.7% of the valid vote; Amanda Hampsey (Conservative) came second with 9,350. 44,862 valid votes were cast by an electorate of 71,756, 62.5% of those registered. The majority was 6,232.
Key figures
What the figures show
Compared with other constituencies, Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber has the 46th lowest share of children in low income families after housing costs of the 650 constituencies with this figure (13.5%); it also has the 55th highest economic inactivity rate of the 632 constituencies with this figure (29.1%).
In 2024/25, 13.5% of children under 16 in Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber (1,797) lived in relative low income families once housing costs are taken off, says the DWP; the UK figure is 26.0%. On the before-housing-costs measure it fell from 11.9% in 2021/22 to 10.3% in 2024/25.
Survey estimates for April 2025 to March 2026 have 69.0% of working-age residents in employment, within a margin of 6.1 points. 29.1% were economically inactive.
Workplaces in Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber accounted for 39,000 jobs in 2024; the business register lists 5,350 local units for March 2026.
Median annual pay for full-time work was £39,653 for jobs in Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber and £38,728 for its residents (April 2025, ASHE). In April 2024 the residents' figure was £34,600. The residents' figure ranks 294th highest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
The number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits stood at 1,305 in September 2026, a claimant rate of 2.3%. September 2025 had 1,205.
MP
Brendan O'Hara, Scottish National Party
- MP for Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber since 4 July 2024
- In the House of Commons since 7 May 2015
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Brendan O'Hara on this site
In Parliament
The 5 most recent spoken contributions by Brendan O'Hara in Hansard, from 2 September 2026 to 13 October 2026, quoted from the official report. Hansard search returns 136 spoken contributions by Brendan O'Hara since 4 July 2024.
What assessment have the Government made of the threats we face from the IRGC or its proxies, and of the impact of February’s US-Israeli attack? Did that attack strengthen or weaken the regime in Tehran, internally and externally?
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
My constituency produces the finest single malt Scotch whisky. From Isla, Jura, Campbeltown, Oban, Mull and Ardnamurchan, centuries of craft have gone into building that hard-earned reputation.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
We genuinely welcome this statement. The Foreign Secretary has hinted at this, but let me be clear: it is somewhere between heartbreaking and criminal that it has taken three years and 70,000 Palestinian deaths for the UK Government to finally arrive at this position.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
During this Bill’s Second Reading back in March, I said that the SNP generally welcomed its introduction, particularly its extension of the franchise to 16 and 17-year-olds. We on the SNP Benches still do. Evidence is always helpful; unfortunately, the right hon.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Is it Conservative party policy to reverse the votes for 16 and 17-year-olds in Scotland? Every single piece of evidence that we can point to suggests that engaging 16 and 17-year-olds makes them better citizens. Does the right hon. Lady seriously want to undermine that?
Read from the Hansard API on 26 October 2026. Up to two items per debate; remarks under 40 characters are left out. All contributions in Hansard.
General election, 4 July 2024
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Change in share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brendan O'Hara | Scottish National Party | 15,582 | 34.7% | −9.4 |
| Amanda Hampsey | Conservative | 9,350 | 20.8% | −13.7 |
| Hamish Maxwell | Labour | 8,585 | 19.1% | +12.1 |
| Alan Reid | Liberal Democrat | 7,359 | 16.4% | +2.3 |
| Melanie Hurst | Reform UK | 3,045 | 6.8% | +6.7 |
| Tommy MacPherson | Independent | 941 | 2.1% |
Result summary as published: SNP hold. Change in share is in percentage points against the notional 2019 result on the new boundaries. Source: House of Commons Library, election results (data, read 14 October 2026).
Results on these boundaries
| Date | Election | First | Second | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 July 2024 | General election | Scottish National Party 34.7% | Conservative 20.8% | 6,232 | 62.5% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Scottish National Party 44.2% | Conservative 34.5% | 4,897 | 70.7% |
Only results on the constituency boundaries first used at the 2024 general election are shown. The 2019 figures are the House of Commons Library's notional estimates of how votes cast in 2019 would have fallen on these boundaries, not a result that was declared. Source: House of Commons Library, constituency results.
Councils
Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber covers wards in 2 local authority areas, listed by the number of wards in the constituency.
- Argyll and Bute S12000035
- Highland S12000017
Who has power over Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber
Every body that makes decisions for Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber, from the street up to the G20. Each one links to its page on the official record. How the ten levels work.
Level 1: Neighbourhood and community power
Residents' and tenants' groups, neighbourhood forums and local policing panels.
Level 2: Parish, town and community councils
Community councils, where the area has them, sit below the council.
Level 5: Devolved and state governments
- Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government makes law for Scotland on devolved subjects
Level 6: National government
- Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber this page: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party) MP
- All 650 MPs votes, interests and costs
- UK government and Parliament official figures and sources
Level 7: Regional blocs and supranational bodies
- Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (CoE / ECtHR) The UK Government says the United Kingdom was one of the Council of Europe's founding members.
Level 8: The UN and global treaty bodies
- United Nations (General Assembly and Security Council) The UN lists the United Kingdom as a member admitted on 24 October 1945.
- United Nations Security Council (UNSC) The UK is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council and holds the veto, according to the UN.
- NATO NATO lists the United Kingdom among its 12 founding members, which signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C.
- World Health Organization (WHO) WHO's list of member states includes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- World Trade Organization (WTO) The WTO says the United Kingdom has been a WTO member since 1 January 1995 and a member of GATT since 1 January 1948.
- Commonwealth of Nations The UK is one of the 56 members, one of three European members with Cyprus and Malta, and the Commonwealth Secretariat is headquartered at Marlborough House in London.
Level 9: The IMF, World Bank and global finance
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) The UK has been a member since 27 December 1945 and has a quota of SDR 20,155.1 million (IMF country page for the United Kingdom).
- World Bank Group (WBG) The UK holds 3.75% of voting power in the IBRD (data as of 30 June 2026) and 6.92% in IDA (as of 30 June 2026), according to the World Bank's voting tables.
Level 10: G7, G20, Davos and global forums
Sources
| Figure | Period | Publisher | Read | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claimants as a share of residents aged 16 to 64 | September 2026 | ONS | 29 October 2026 | data · area |
| Claimant count | September 2026 | ONS | 29 October 2026 | data · area |
| Employment rate, aged 16 to 64 | April 2025 to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median full-time pay of residents | April 2025 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median full-time pay of people working here | April 2025 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Children in relative low income families, after housing costs | 2024/25 | DWP | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Children in relative low income families, before housing costs | 2024/25 | DWP | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Business sites (local units) | March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| People employed by businesses here | 2024 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Economically inactive, aged 16 to 64 | April 2025 to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
"Data" is the file or query each figure was read from (its SHA-256 is in the link title); "area" shows the same table for this constituency alone.
Common questions
Who is the MP for Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber?
Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party), elected on 4 July 2024, according to UK Parliament records.
What was the 2024 general election result in Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber?
The House of Commons Library records 15,582 votes for Brendan O'Hara of Scottish National Party and a majority of 6,232; 62.5% of the electorate cast a valid vote.
What is the unemployment claimant rate in Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber?
The ONS claimant count for September 2026 is 1,305, 2.3% of the 16 to 64 population.
What is the average salary in Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber?
For full-time employees living here the ONS puts median annual pay at £38,728 (April 2025).
How many children in Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber live in low income families?
1,797 children under 16, 13.5%, after housing costs in 2024/25, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.
Built 14 October 2026 from official records; how these pages are compiled. This page lists what the record shows and gives no verdict on the MP or the area. Link moved or figure wrong? Tell us.