Alistair Carmichael was first elected as the Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland in 2001, being reelected in 2019 with a majority of 2,507.
The constituency of Orkney and Shetland is the UK’s most northerly constituency. It is also the Liberal Democrat’s most long standing seat in Parliament, having been won by the party ever since the Second World War. It was formerly represented by the Liberal Party leader Jo Grimmond. Containing the islands of Orkney and Shetland, it is the second smallest seat with an electorate of just 34,211.
Carmichael is currently the Liberal Democrat spokesperson on home affairs, as well as on political and constitutional reform.
Alistair Carmichael served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Scotland in the Coalition government between 2012 and 2015. He served as the Liberal Democrat Chief Whip at Westminster between 2015 and 2020.
Carmichael was born in 1965, on Islay to hill farming parents and read law at the University of Aberdeen. Before he became an MP he was an hotelier, a Procurator Fiscal Depute and a solicitor.
Married to a vet, he has two children, and is an Elder of the Church of Scotland. He enjoys amateur dramatics and music; he speaks both French and German.
Alistair Carmichael is the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Groups on Uyghurs; the Bahá’à Faith; and Hong Kong. He is the Vice Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Groups on Fisheries; Marine Energy; Scotch Whisky; UK Islands; Cameroon; Brain Tumours; China; Democracy and Human Rights in the Gulf; the Death Penalty; Deliberative Democracy; Kuwait; Oman; and Qatar.
Email: carmichaela@parliament.uk
Email: carmichaela@parliament.uk
Personal Website: www.alistaircarmichael.co.uk/
Twitter: @acarmichaelmp
