Maree Todd loses Caithness, Sutherland and Ross to David Green

maree todd came second in Caithness, Sutherland and Ross as Scottish Liberal Democrat David Green took the seat from the SNP. The result removes the party from a constituency Todd had been aiming to hold and hands control of the UK’s biggest constituency by geographic size to the Liberal Democrats.

Caithness, Sutherland and Ross

Green won the constituency on Friday, with Todd, the SNP candidate and a former Scottish government minister, finishing second. The seat covers almost 4,942 sq miles, stretching from Dingwall up to Wick, Thurso and John O' Groats.

Votes in the constituency were counted at Inverness Leisure, where counting began on Friday morning. The Scottish Parliament has 129 members, made up of 73 constituency MSPs and 56 regional MSPs, and a party needs 65 seats to secure a majority.

David Green

Green’s win ended an SNP hold on a seat Todd had been trying to retain. Todd’s ministerial roles had included minister for drugs and alcohol policy, and the contest placed one of the parliament’s largest geographic constituencies back in Liberal Democrat hands.

The wider election count also included results that left the SNP set to be the largest party, with Scottish Greens winning seats and a Labour stalwart holding a key constituency. In Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, the immediate result was clear: Green took the seat, Todd finished second, and the constituency changed hands.