Official portrait of Mr Alistair Carmichael

Mr Alistair Carmichael

Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland, since 7 June 2001

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.

Scorecard

51.3% Attendance In the least-present tenth of MPs who vote
294 Votes cast out of 575 divisions, plus 1 as teller
280 No vote recorded absent, abstaining, paired or unable to attend
1 Against their own party divisions where they voted the other way to most Liberal Democrat MPs
6 Interests declared none at £5,000 or more
1479 Debates spoken in 565 written questions tabled

Ranked 579 of 638 MPs for attendance. The median of MPs who vote is 72.3%. Ministers and front-benchers vote less often than backbenchers for reasons of office rather than absenteeism, and Parliament does not publish reasons for any absence — the ranking is a starting point for a question, not an answer to one.

Voting record

575 divisions since they took their seat, newest first.

DateQuestionTheir voteResult
3 Sep 2025 Opposition day: Hospitality sector Aye 158–334
3 Sep 2025 Opposition day: Property taxes No vote 98–335
2 Sep 2025 English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill: Second Reading No 365–164
2 Sep 2025 English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill: Reasoned Amendment Aye 167–367
16 Jul 2025 Enterprise Act 2002 (Amendment of Section 58 Considerations) Order 2025 (SI, 2025, No. 737) deferred division No vote 333–54
16 Jul 2025 Draft Enterprise Act 2002 (Definition of Newspaper) Order 2025 deferred division No vote 334–54
15 Jul 2025 Opposition Day: Tax Aye 165–342
15 Jul 2025 Opposition Day: Welfare No 106–440
11 Jul 2025 Unauthorised Entry to Football Matches Bill Report: Amendment 1 No vote 0–47
11 Jul 2025 Motion to sit in private No vote 1–58
9 Jul 2025 Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill: Third Reading No vote 336–242
9 Jul 2025 Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill Committee: Amendment 38 No vote 149–334
9 Jul 2025 Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill Committee: New Clause 8 No vote 130–443
9 Jul 2025 Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill Committee: Amendment 45 No vote 175–401
9 Jul 2025 Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill Committee: Clause 2, as amended, and Clause 3 stand part No vote 335–135
9 Jul 2025 Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill Committee: Amendment 12 No vote 105–370
9 Jul 2025 Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill Committee: Amendment 50 No vote 103–416
9 Jul 2025 Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill Committee: Amendment 39 No vote 35–469
8 Jul 2025 Football Governance Bill [HL]: Third Reading Aye 415–98
8 Jul 2025 Football Governance Bill [HL] Report Stage: Amendment 18 Aye 178–338
8 Jul 2025 Football Governance Bill [HL] Report Stage: New Clause 3 Aye 86–340
8 Jul 2025 Football Governance Bill [HL] Report Stage: New Clause 1 Aye 167–346
4 Jul 2025 Motion to sit in private No vote 1–33
2 Jul 2025 Terrorism Act 2000 (Proscribed Organisations) (Amendment) Order 2025 No vote 385–26
2 Jul 2025 Armed Forces Commissioner Bill: Motion to insist on 2A and disagree with LA2B and LA2C No 321–158

Declared financial interests

Quoted in full from the Register of Members' Financial Interests. Entries where the largest figure is £5,000 or more are marked. A declaration is not a wrongdoing — the register exists precisely so that these things are visible.

1. Employment and earnings

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, 32 London Bridge St, London SE1 9SG
(Registered 22 September 2021)

On the register since 8 Oct 2025

Payment: £750
Received on: 29 September 2025. Hours: 5 hrs.
(Registered 30 September 2025)

On the register since 8 Oct 2025

6. Land and property portfolio with a value over £100,000 and where indicated, the portfolio provides a rental income of over £10,000 a year

Type of land/property: Agricultural land (Farmland including farm buildings and one house let as holiday accommodation, managed through Coillabus Farms)
Location: Islay, Argyll
Interest held: from 10 November 2021
Rental income: from 10 November 2021
Rental income details: income paid to my father
(Registered 16 November 2021; updated 29 July 2024)

On the register since 16 Aug 2024

7. (i) Shareholdings: over 15% of issued share capital

Name of company or organisation: Coillabus Farms
Nature of business: A firm which manages two farms and the letting of self-catering holiday accommodation on Islay.
Interest held: from 24 October 2021
(Registered 16 November 2021)

On the register since 18 Apr 2024

8. Miscellaneous

An unpaid partner in Coillabus Farms.
Date interest arose: 24 October 2021
(Registered 16 November 2021)

On the register since 16 Aug 2024

Unremunerated Director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding.
Date interest arose: 22 September 2017
(Registered 12 October 2017)

On the register since 18 Apr 2024

The same register on parliament.uk →

Debates

1479 debates contributed to in total. The ten most recent:

Money declared to them

No donations to this member appear on the Electoral Commission's register for this Parliament. Only donations above the statutory thresholds have to be declared, and the match is made on name — search the register directly if you are checking a specific one.

Where the public money goes — contracts and donations →


Sources: Commons Votes API, Members API and the Register of Members' Financial Interests, all published by Parliament under the Open Parliament Licence; donations from the Electoral Commission's register. This member's register and debate record were last refreshed 3 Aug 2026. How every figure is worked out →

Machine-readable: JSON for this MP.

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