Lib Dems lose stronghold Shetland seat to SNP

The Scottish Liberal Democrats have lost the party's traditional stronghold seat of Shetland to the SNP.

The SNP's Hannah Mary Goodlad won 47% of the vote, ahead of Scottish Lib Dem candidate Emma Macdonald who got 34%.

Shetland has been represented by the Liberal party and later the Lib Dems since Jo Grimond was elected in 1950.

After her win, Goodlad told BBC Scotland News she had been transparent with Shetland's traditionally Lib Dem voters, and that she ran a "hopeful, positive" campaign.

At the Lerwick count Goodlad, who works for a Norwegian energy company and runs a mobile sauna business, celebrated a convincing victory.

She secured a majority of 1,500, far higher than had been predicted.

Goodlad had 5,453 votes, a 47.5% share, which was up 5.6 percentage points.

Macdonald, with 3,936 votes, meant the Lib Dems were down 14.3 percentage points to a 34.3% share.

Turnout was 64% with a total of 11,484 votes cast.

Goodlad said the campaign had been a "conversation" for 12 months as many people had voted one way their entire life.

She said the "hard work" would now begin to make sure Shetland's voice was heard in Holyrood.

"That's the very very clear mandate that Shetland has given me," she said.

Alistair Carmichael, the Lib Dem MP for Orkney and Shetland, congratulated the SNP and said it had been a difficult campaign locally.

Polling expert Sir John Curtice said the Lib Dems suffered after the incumbent MSP, Beatrice Wishart, stood down.

She had represented Shetland since 2019 but announced in February that she would not stand in this year's Holyrood election.

"And in the event, the Liberal Democrats have lost the seat rather badly with a 14 point drop in their support," Curtice said.

"This has enabled the SNP to make a 16 point increase in their support.

He added that it was the first time that a Liberal or Lib Dem MP had failed to win a seat in the Northern Isles since Jo Grimond won in 1950.

Grimond was MP of Orkney and Shetland between 1950 and 1983, and twice leader of the Liberal Party.

This is a seismic result for the SNP.

The last time Shetland was represented by anyone other than a Liberal was in 1950.

The SNP have been campaigning hard in Shetland for a number of years. Famously, they spent more money campaigning in the by-election here in 2019 than they did on the whole of the Brexit referendum.

But really this is down to the hard graft of a good local candidate in Hannah Mary Goodlad.

She works for a Norwegian energy company and runs a mobile sauna business and, as such, will be one of the few SNP MSPs who doesn't come with prior political experience.

One local suggested he'd voted for her because she'd put a terrific effort into her campaign, demonstrating her genuine commitment to, and understanding of, the community.

Earlier, the neighbouring Orkney Islands seat was the first to declare and was successfully held by Lib Dem Liam McArthur.

McArthur's win in Orkney was the highest winning vote share - 72% - in the history of Holyrood.