BeyondtheVote
Sign in
The Westminster lensMP · Liberal Democrats · Sitting since 7 Jun 2001

Alistair Carmichael.

Liberal Democrats MP for Orkney and Shetland.

Alistair Carmichael
PlaceOrkney and Shetland
ProfileParliament.uk ↗
Commons votes
281/521
54% attendance · top 87% of MPs
Party alignment
48%
on whipped divisions
Speeches
322
across 151 debates · 53,458 words
Written Qs
16
16 answered · 0 pending
Dispatch
31 May 2026

Liberal Democrats MP in Independent Berwick Hills Resident-controlled territory.

The Rt Hon Mr Alistair Carmichael is the Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland, and has been an MP continually since 7 June 2001.

§ 01Voting record.281 divisions · most recent 23 Mar 2026

By issue — what do they vote on most?

Top eight by total divisions voted, this parliament. Volume measures engagement, not direction — see Notable Votes for free-vote moments and rebellions.

Taxation67
Economy59
Employment33
Crime & Policing31
Education27
Welfare and Benefits20
Constitution and Democracy19
Housing15

Source · The Public Whip · Hansard

Notable votes — free votes & rebellions.

Moments where the whip was free, or where Carmichael broke ranks. Free votes are the truer signal of personal stance.

DateBill / motionVoteWhip
26 Mar 2025Tobacco and Vapes Bill: Third ReadingNo
vs party
§ 02Speeches.322 contributions · 151 debates · 53,458 words

Words spoken, by topic.

Economy & Jobs37,523
Environment23,943
Agriculture21,009
Cost of Living9,271
Energy9,216
Fiscal Policy6,146
Defence5,025
LD avg / MP All-MP avgper topic, words per MP

Source · Hansard

Recent contributions.

21 May

Industrial Strategy

“Food manufacturing's deliberate exclusion from the industrial strategy was a mistake, leaving the sector exposed to rising energy costs and facing food price inflation of 9-10%.”

88 words·Read
21 May

Middle East: Economic Response

“Farmers face existential pressures from fertiliser costs tied to Hormuz strait closure; tariff suspensions on food imports risk undermining domestic food production; food and drink…”

160 words·Read
26 Mar

European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service

“Strongly advocates for immediate UK rejoining of EGNOS, citing concrete evidence that lost access has trebled cancellations to island communities and increased costs including bloc…”

132 words·Read
26 Mar

Topical Questions

“Called for airlines to publish trigger points for removing fuel surcharges as they add them to ticket prices.”

63 words·Read
Showing 4 of 322·All 322 speeches
§ 03Committees & roles.4 current appointments

Current memberships.

Select, joint and other committees Carmichael currently sits on. Committee work is where much of the line-by-line scrutiny of bills and departments happens, away from the chamber.

CommitteeRoleType
Liaison Sub-Committee on National Policy StatementsMemberSelect
Liaison Committee (Commons)MemberSelect
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs CommitteeChairSelect
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs CommitteeMemberSelect

Source · UK Parliament Committees API

What this means.

Holds a chair

Carmichael chairs a committee — an elected position with real agenda-setting power over what gets scrutinised.

§ 04Written questions.16 tabled · 16 answered · 14 Oct 2024 → 20 Apr 2026

Top departments asked.

DepartmentQsShare
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs531.3%
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero212.5%
Treasury212.5%
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office212.5%
Home Office212.5%
Department for Business and Trade16.3%
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology16.3%
Ministry of Defence16.3%

Most recent.

20 Apr 2026·Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office·Answered

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, a) what assessment he has made of the average time required to secure the recognition and enforcement in the United Arab Emirates of civil fraud judgments of the High Court of England and Wales; and b) what representations he has made to his UAE counterparts since September 2025 regarding enforcement cooperation in such cases, including Njord Partners SMA-Seal LP & ors v Astir Maritime & ors [2024].

The UK regularly engages with the UAE authorities on a range of judicial and legal cooperation issues through established bilateral channels. As a longstanding policy, the Government does not comment on individual legal cases.

20 Apr 2026·Home Office·Answered

A) how many asset recovery cases involving cooperation with the United Arab Emirates have resulted in funds being returned to UK victims since 2020; b) what metrics are used to measure the operational effectiveness of the UK–UAE illicit finance partnership; and c) whether that partnership is being applied to support recovery in cases including the High Court judgment in Njord Partners SMA-Seal LP & ors v Astir Maritime & ors [2024].

The UK–UAE Partnership to Tackle Illicit Financial Flows is focused on strengthening how we work together on illicit finance, fraud and asset recovery, including the return of the proceeds of crime.Since it was established in 2021, the UK a…read full →

20 Apr 2026·Department for Business and Trade·Answered

A) what role the enforceability of UK court judgments plays in the Government’s assessment of financial services cooperation and market access discussions with the United Arab Emirates; and b) whether the non-enforcement to date of the High Court judgment in Njord Partners SMA-Seal LP & ors v Astir Maritime & ors [2024] has been raised in that context.

HM Treasury takes a range of factors into account when discussing financial services cooperation and market access with overseas jurisdictions, including the regulatory framework in those jurisdictions and the competitiveness of the UK mark…read full →

20 Apr 2026·Home Office·Answered

A) how many mutual legal assistance requests relating to the enforcement of civil fraud judgments have been made to the United Arab Emirates since 2022; b) in how many cases those requests have resulted in enforcement action; c) and whether mutual legal assistance has been sought in relation to the High Court judgment in Njord Partners SMA-Seal LP & ors v Astir Maritime & ors [2024].

The UK Central authority within the Home Office leads on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters. This question would be for the Foreign Process Section at the Royal Courts of Justice who are the Central Authority for mutual legal assis…read full →

Showing 4 of 16·All 16 written questions
§ 05Register & expenses.6 declared interests · £322k claimed FY 24_25

Register of interests.

Payment: £750
Payment: £750 Received on: 29 September 2025. Hours: 5 hrs. (Registered 30 September 2025)
Role, work or services: Member of the Advisory Board of the House Magazine
Role, work or services: Member of the Advisory Board of the House Magazine From: 12 May 2021. Payer: Dods Group Ltd, 11th Floor, The Shard…
Type of land/property: Agricultural land (Farmland including farm buildings and
Type of land/property: Agricultural land (Farmland including farm buildings and one house let as holiday accommodation, managed through Coil…
Name of company or organisation: Coillabus Farms
Name of company or organisation: Coillabus Farms Nature of business: A firm which manages two farms and the letting of self-catering holida…
An unpaid partner in Coillabus Farms.
An unpaid partner in Coillabus Farms. Date interest arose: 24 October 2021 (Registered 16 November 2021)
Showing 5 of 6·All 6 register entries

Source · Members API · Last amended 8 Oct 2025

IPSA expenses.

Category£Share
Staffing216,18967.0%
Office Costs39,55912.3%
MP Travel38,30211.9%
Accommodation14,7974.6%
Staff Travel11,5163.6%
Total · 232 claims322,487100%
Showing 6 of 232·All 232 IPSA claims

Source · IPSA · FY 24_25

§ 06This week in Westminster.Order paper · refreshed daily

Nothing tabled for Carmichael on the published Order Paper this week.

§ 07Electoral history.5 contests · 2010, 2024
YearConstituencyVotesShareResult
2024Orkney and Shetland11,39255.1%Won
2019Orkney and Shetland10,38144.8%Won
2017Orkney and Shetland11,31248.6%Won
2015Orkney and Shetland9,40741.4%Won
2010Orkney and Shetland11,98962.0%Won

2024 — full result, Orkney and Shetland.

CandidateVotes%
Alistair CarmichaelWONLD11,39255.1

Showing the MP’s own row only. Full result table: see Orkney and Shetland →

Sources, methods & last update
Method The dispatch paragraphs are AI-generated from the public sources listed below. Every figure links to its source. If we’re wrong, please tell us — corrections within 48 hours.
DivisionsHansard
The Public Whip
Updated 31 May 2026
SpeechesHansard · 53,458 words
17 Jul 2024 → 21 May 2026
Written QsMembers API
16 tabled · 16 answered
CommitteesCommittees API
4 current
RegisterMembers API
6 entries
ExpensesIPSA
£322,487 · FY 24_25
Order paperUK Parliament
Refreshed daily
ElectionsElectoral Commission
DCLEAPIL