# Argyll and Bute (UK Parliament constituency)

Argyll and Bute was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created for the 1983 general election, merging most of Argyll with some of Bute and Northern Ayrshire, and then superseded by Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber in the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies.
Under the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the constituency now comprises the vast majority of the new Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber constituency, first contested at the 2024 general election.

## Boundaries

1983–2005: Argyll and Bute District.
2005–2024: The area of the Argyll and Bute Council.
When created in 1983, the constituency covered the area of the Argyll and Bute district of the Strathclyde region. In 2005 it was enlarged to cover the Argyll and Bute council area, which had been created in 1996. Thus Helensburgh, already included within the new council area, was included in the constituency. Helensburgh had been within the Dunbarton district until 1996, and within the Dumbarton constituency until 2005.

## Politics

Argyll and Bute was one of the few four-way marginal constituencies in the UK. The Liberal Democrats held the seat from 1987, when they took it from the Conservatives, until 2015 when the SNP won the seat. The equivalent seat to Argyll and Bute in the Scottish Parliament was lost to the SNP in 2007, with Labour representing the overlapping constituency of Dumbarton to the southeast covering Helensburgh and Lomond. Since 2017, the Scottish Conservatives have been the main challengers in the seat.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1983 | John MacKay | Conservative |
| 1987 | Ray Michie | Liberal |
| 1988 | Ray Michie | Liberal Democrats |
| 2001 | Alan Reid | Liberal Democrats |
| 2015 | Brendan O'Hara | SNP |

## Election results
### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Argyll and Bute :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SNP | Brendan O'Hara | 21,040 | 43.8 | +7.8 |
| | Conservative | Gary Mulvaney | 16,930 | 35.2 | +2.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alan Reid | 6,832 | 14.2 | −4.0 |
| | Labour | Rhea Barnes | 3,248 | 6.8 | −5.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,110 | 8.6 | +5.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,050 | 72.2 | +0.7 |
| | SNP hold | SNP hold | Swing | +2.9 | |
2017 general election: Argyll and Bute :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SNP | Brendan O'Hara | 17,304 | 36.0 | −8.3 |
| | Conservative | Gary Mulvaney | 15,976 | 33.2 | +18.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alan Reid | 8,745 | 18.2 | −9.7 |
| | Labour | Michael Kelly | 6,044 | 12.6 | +2.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,328 | 2.8 | −13.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,069 | 71.5 | −3.8 |
| | SNP hold | SNP hold | Swing | −13.3 | |
General election 2015: Argyll and Bute :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SNP | Brendan O'Hara | 22,959 | 44.3 | +25.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alan Reid | 14,486 | 27.9 | −3.7 |
| | Conservative | Alastair Redman | 7,733 | 14.9 | −9.1 |
| | Labour | Mary Galbraith | 5,394 | 10.4 | −12.3 |
| | UKIP | Caroline Santos | 1,311 | 2.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,473 | 16.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,883 | 75.3 | +8.0 |
| | SNP gain from Liberal Democrats | SNP gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | +14.5 | |
General election 2010: Argyll and Bute :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alan Reid | 14,292 | 31.6 | −4.9 |
| | Conservative | Gary Mulvaney | 10,861 | 24.0 | +0.5 |
| | Labour | David Graham | 10,274 | 22.7 | +0.3 |
| | SNP | Mike MacKenzie | 8,563 | 18.9 | +3.4 |
| | Scottish Green | Elaine Morrison | 789 | 1.7 | New |
| | Independent | George Doyle | 272 | 0.6 | New |
| | Scottish Jacobite | John Black | 156 | 0.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,431 | 7.6 | −5.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,207 | 67.3 | +3.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | −2.7 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Argyll and Bute :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alan Reid | 15,786 | 36.5 | +3.7 |
| | Conservative | Jamie McGrigor | 10,150 | 23.5 | −0.2 |
| | Labour | Carolyn Manson | 9,696 | 22.4 | −0.3 |
| | SNP | Isobel Strong | 6,716 | 15.5 | −2.0 |
| | Scottish Socialist | Deirdre Henderson | 881 | 2.0 | −1.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,636 | 13.0 | +7.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,229 | 64.2 | +4.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | +2.0 | |
General election 2001: Argyll and Bute :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alan Reid | 9,245 | 29.9 | −10.3 |
| | Labour | Hugh J.E. Raven | 7,592 | 24.5 | +8.8 |
| | Conservative | Dave Petrie | 6,436 | 20.8 | +1.9 |
| | SNP | Agnes Samuel | 6,433 | 20.8 | −2.4 |
| | Scottish Socialist | Des Divers | 1,251 | 4.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,653 | 5.4 | −11.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,957 | 63.0 | −9.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | −9.6 | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Argyll and Bute :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ray Michie | 14,359 | 40.2 | +5.3 |
| | SNP | Neil MacCormick | 8,278 | 23.2 | −0.6 |
| | Conservative | Ralph Leishman | 6,774 | 18.9 | −8.8 |
| | Labour | Ali A. Syed | 5,596 | 15.7 | +2.1 |
| | Referendum | Michael Stewart | 713 | 2.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,081 | 17.0 | +9.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,720 | 72.9 | −3.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | +3.0 | |
General election 1992: Argyll and Bute :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ray Michie | 12,739 | 34.9 | −2.4 |
| | Conservative | John Corrie | 10,117 | 27.7 | −5.8 |
| | SNP | Neil MacCormick | 8,689 | 23.8 | +6.7 |
| | Labour | Des Browne | 4,946 | 13.6 | +1.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,622 | 7.2 | +3.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,491 | 76.1 | +0.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | +1.7 | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Argyll and Bute :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Ray Michie | 13,726 | 37.3 | +9.8 |
| | Conservative | John MacKay | 12,332 | 33.5 | −5.1 |
| | SNP | Robert Shaw | 6,297 | 17.1 | −7.5 |
| | Labour | Desmond Tierney | 4,437 | 12.1 | +2.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,394 | 3.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,792 | 75.5 | +2.6 |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +7.5 | |
General election 1983: Argyll and Bute :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John MacKay | 13,380 | 38.6 | −1.7 |
| | Liberal | Ray Michie | 9,536 | 27.5 | +13.7 |
| | SNP | Ian Smith | 8,514 | 24.6 | −4.6 |
| | Labour | Charles McCafferty | 3,204 | 9.3 | −7.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,844 | 11.1 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,634 | 72.9 | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |