Earlier this year, Beatrice Wishart announced that she wouldn’t seek re-election to the Scottish Parliament to the Shetland seat she won in the 2019 by-election and defended in 2021.

This week, Shetland Liberal Democrats announced that Emma Macdonald  will stand for the seat at the Scottish Parliament elections in May.

Emma Macdonald has lived in Shetland most of her life after moving over as a child. Emma now lives in Voe and is married with two children and a grandson. In recent years she has owned and operated Emma-Louise’s The Coffee Shop and worked in social care.

She first joined Shetland Islands Council in 2017 as member for Shetland North, becoming deputy leader a year later. During her first term as a councillor Emma also chaired the Integration Joint Board. In 2022 she was re-elected and appointed Leader, also taking on membership of the Health Board for the Council.

In 2024, she won LGIU’s Cllr Award for Leader of the Year. During her time on the council she has worked on a number of key issues including funding for ferries, making the case for fixed links, reliable broadband and the challenges facing the community over the higher cost of living.

Emma Macdonald said:

I would like to thank local party members for selecting me to be their candidate for the Scottish Parliament election. I would also like to wish Moraig well and offer my commiserations, but I know she will continue to deliver for Shetland in her role in the council.

In my time as council leader, people have seen that I can make a real difference. As your prospective next MSP, I want to ensure that Shetland is at the front of the queue and I will be a strong voice standing up for the issues that matter the most, like replacing the Gilbert Bain hospital and delivering on the promise of fixed links.

Delivering tunnels for Shetland is, ultimately, about future-proofing our island population. Transport connectivity is central to creating sustainable islands which provide good homes and good jobs for our people, and which can reverse decades of depopulation.

I hope that you will lend me your vote in next year’s election and look forward to speaking to as many of you as possible on the campaign trail.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton  said:

I have always admired the dedication and ferocity with which Jim Wallace, Alistair Carmichael, Tavish Scott and Beatrice Wishart fought for the best interests of their communities and it is clear that Emma Macdonald is cut from the same cloth.

As leader of Shetland Islands Council, Emma knows exactly what public service means. As soon as I met her I knew she had so much to offer to the Scottish Parliament.

This will be a straight fight between the SNP and the Liberal Democrats. I would urge voters to back a candidate who will be Shetland’s voice in Parliament, not another nationalist backbencher who will make excuses for out of touch ministers in Edinburgh.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings