Ross, Cromarty and Skye (UK Parliament constituency)

Ross, Cromarty and Skye was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 to 1997. The constituency elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post system of election.

Ross, Cromarty and Skye
Former county constituency for the House of Commons
Subdivisions of Scotland	Highland
1983–1997
Seats	One
Created from	Ross & Cromarty Inverness
Replaced by	Ross, Skye & Inverness West Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross

It was formed by merging the former Ross and Cromarty constituency with the Isle of Skye and the Isle of Raasay areas of the former Inverness constituency.

In 1997 most of the constituency became part of the then new Ross, Skye and Inverness West constituency. An Easter Ross area became part of the Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross constituency.

Boundaries

Ross and Cromarty District, Skye and Lochalsh District, and the Inverness District electoral divisions of Aird North, Aird South, and Charleston.

Local government areas

1983 to 1996

From 1983 to 1996 the constituency covered the Highland districts of Ross and Cromarty and Skye and Lochalsh.

1996 to 1997

See also Politics of the Highland Council area

Local government districts were abolished in 1996, and the constituency became an area within the Highland unitary council area. Throughout the remaining life of the constituency Highland Council maintained area committees named for the former districts, Ross and Cromarty and Skye and Lochalsh.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member[1]	Party
	1983	Charles Kennedy	SDP
	1988		Liberal Democrats
	1997	constituency abolished: see Ross, Skye and Inverness West

Elections results

Ross and successor constituencies election results

Elections of the 1980s

General election 1983: Ross, Cromarty and Skye^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	SDP	Charles Kennedy	13,528	38.5	+17.3
	Conservative	Hamish Gray	11,824	33.7	−5.5
	Labour	Murray Elder	4,901	14.0	−3.1
	SNP	Katrine Matheson	4,863	13.9	−8.6
Majority			1,704	4.8	N/A
Turnout			35,036	72.6
	SDP win (new seat)

General election 1987: Ross, Cromarty and Skye^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	SDP	Charles Kennedy	18,809	49.4	+10.9
	Conservative	Christopher Nairn	7,490	19.7	−14.0
	Labour	Michael MacMillan	7,287	19.1	+5.1
	SNP	Rob Gibson	4,492	11.8	−2.1
Majority			11,319	29.7	+24.9
Turnout			38,078	72.7	+0.1
	SDP hold		Swing	+12.5

Elections of the 1990s

General election 1992: Ross, Cromarty and Skye^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Charles Kennedy	17,066	41.6	−7.8
	Conservative	James Gray	9,436	23.0	+3.3
	SNP	Rob Gibson	7,618	18.5	+6.7
	Labour	James MacDonald	6,275	15.3	−3.8
	Scottish Green	David Jardine	642	1.6	New
Majority			7,630	18.6	−11.1
Turnout			41,037	73.6	+0.9
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing	−5.6