Orkney and Shetland: MP, 2024 result and local figures
The MP for Orkney and Shetland is Mr Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat), returned on 4 July 2024. Alistair Carmichael took the seat for Liberal Democrat in July 2024 with 11,392 votes (55.1%), ahead of Robert Leslie (Scottish National Party) on 3,585. Turnout, counted as valid votes over the electorate, was 60.4% (20,688 of 34,236); the winning margin was 7,807 votes.
Key figures
What the figures show
Two figures set Orkney and Shetland apart: the 11th lowest share of children in low income families after housing costs of the 650 constituencies with this figure (10.3%), and the 34th highest median full-time pay for jobs based here of the 632 constituencies with this figure (£45,314 a year).
790 children in Orkney and Shetland were in relative low income families after housing costs in 2024/25, the Department for Work and Pensions estimates: 10.3% of under-16s, where the UK share is 26.0%. Before housing costs the share was 9.0% in 2024/25, from 9.3% in 2021/22.
Residents of Orkney and Shetland earned more than jobs based there paid in April 2025: median full-time pay was £45,314 for workplace jobs and £45,958 for residents. A year before, the residents' median was £41,950. The residents' figure ranks 82nd highest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
The Annual Population Survey puts the employment rate for 16 to 64 year olds at 79.2% for April 2025 to March 2026, give or take 14.1 points. The economically inactive share was 20.8%.
3,725 business sites were registered in Orkney and Shetland in March 2026 (3,710 a year before), and employed 24,000 people in 2024.
370 people were claiming unemployment-related benefits in September 2026, 1.4% of residents aged 16 to 64. A year earlier the count was 355.
MP
Mr Alistair Carmichael, Liberal Democrat
- MP for Orkney and Shetland since 4 July 2024
- In the House of Commons since 7 June 2001
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Mr Alistair Carmichael on this site
In Parliament
What Mr Alistair Carmichael said most recently in Parliament, word for word from Hansard (from 21 October 2026 to 27 October 2026). Hansard search returns 304 spoken contributions by Mr Alistair Carmichael since 4 July 2024.
Laying in three days’ supplies in the Northern Isles is what we do if we are confident that we are having a mild winter. Just four years ago, parts of Shetland were without electricity for six days, so resilience looks different in different parts of the country.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I thank the right hon. Lady and her Committee for the report. She will be aware that many agricultural sectors rely heavily on migrant labour, and that the Home Office is telling us that we need to upskill our own workforce to take the place of those workers.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
As the Government start redesigning the sustainable farming incentive, can I draw their attention to an initiative launched today by Aldi and ABP, “Grounded in Goodness”, which is paying a premium to their beef producers?
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I agree with everything the hon. Gentleman is saying, but we neglect at our peril the sheer extra cost of administration for SFI, as compared with the basic payment scheme. Baroness Batters has remarkable figures on that in her report.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I remind the House of my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for South West Norfolk (Terry Jermy). I can endorse his asks to the Chancellor and I could probably add a few of my own.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Read from the Hansard API on 28 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alistair Carmichael | Liberal Democrat | 11,392 | 55.1% | +10.2 |
| Robert Leslie | Scottish National Party | 3,585 | 17.3% | −16.7 |
| Alex Armitage | Scottish Green Party | 2,046 | 9.9% | |
| Robert Smith | Reform UK | 1,586 | 7.7% | +3.8 |
| Conor Savage | Labour | 1,493 | 7.2% | +0.5 |
| Shane Painter | Conservative | 586 | 2.8% | −7.0 |
Result summary as published: LD 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 | Liberal Democrat 55.1% | Scottish National Party 17.3% | 7,807 | 60.4% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Liberal Democrat 44.8% | Scottish National Party 34.0% | 2,507 | 66.5% |
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
Orkney and Shetland covers wards in 2 local authority areas, listed by the number of wards in the constituency.
- Shetland Islands S12000027
- Orkney Islands S12000023
Who has power over Orkney and Shetland
Every body that makes decisions for Orkney and Shetland, 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
- Orkney and Shetland this page: Mr Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat) 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 Orkney and Shetland?
UK Parliament lists Mr Alistair Carmichael, Liberal Democrat, as the Member of Parliament for Orkney and Shetland since the July 2024 general election.
What was the 2024 general election result in Orkney and Shetland?
Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat) won with 11,392 votes, a majority of 7,807, on a turnout of 60.4% (House of Commons Library).
What is the unemployment claimant rate in Orkney and Shetland?
1.4% of residents aged 16 to 64 in September 2026, 370 people, on the ONS claimant count.
What is the average salary in Orkney and Shetland?
Median full-time pay of residents was £45,958 a year in April 2025 (ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings).
How many children in Orkney and Shetland live in low income families?
DWP counts 790 (10.3% of under-16s) in relative low income after housing costs for 2024/25.
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.