'I will serve the interests of everyone', says new SNP MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber.
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FOR the first time in more than three decades voters have elected a new MP to represent Ross, Skye and Lochaber.
Veteran Parliamentarian Charles Kennedy has represented people in the constituency for 32 years - but he was defeated this morning by ex-banker Ian Blackford.
The result was 20,119 votes for Mr Blackford and 14,995 votes for Liberal Democrat Mr Kennedy.
Mr Blackford said: "My responsibility is to accept the privilege of being elected as member of parliament for this beautiful constituency of Ross, Skye and Lochaber.
"And the pledge that I make to everyone is that I will work hard to represent all the constituents. I am there to serve the interests of everyone."
Mr Kennedy looked deflated. He said it was an historical moment.
He said: "Ladies and gentlemen I am very fond of political history and tonight if nothing else we can all consider and reflect in years to come, perhaps tell our grandchildren, that we were there on the night of the long sgian dubhs."
The election count took place overnight at the Highland Football Academy in Dingwall.
Jaws dropped when the results came through and entire swathes of Scotland's constituency map turned yellow as they fell to the SNP.
The Highlands' other constituency seat, Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, was won by SNP candidate Paul Monaghan with 15,831 votes.
The 49-year-old former Inverness Royal Academy pupil has worked as a policy expert for Northern Constabulary and is now director of Highland Homeless Trust in Inverness. He has a Ph.D. in Social Policy earning him the right to be addressed as doctor. He took the seat from Liberal Democrat John Thurso who has represented people in the constituency for the last 14 years. Lord Thurso won 11,987 votes.
Dr Monaghan said: "I will do everything I can to build unity as I go about this important task that has been entrusted to me. I will seek to end austerity and scrap Trident so that we can choose to invest in the things that really matter to the people in Scotland, like our National Health Service."
Mr Thurso said: "Can I congratulate Dr Monaghan and tell him that he has won the privilege of serving the most wonderful fantastic constituency in the whole of the United Kingdom and I wish him well in that task.
"It would appear tonight that the flame of liberal democracy is flickering but it will not go out. There will always be room for Liberalism in British politics and I look forward to the day when it burns bright again."
Dr Monaghan was up against three other contenders for the seat. John Erskine, Scottish Labour Party, took 3061 votes, Alastair Graham, Scottish Conservative and Unionist, got 2326 votes. And Anne Murray (UKIP) took 281 votes.
The Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey seat was won by Highland Council leader Drew Hendry who took 28,838 votes. Liberal Democrat Danny Alexander, who has been the constituency’s MP since 2005, secured 18,029 votes.
It was more than Mr Alexander won in 2010 but not enough to hold back the SNP surge.
Mr Blackford used to be the SNP's treasurer but he left the top ranks after a clash with Alex Salmond more than a decade ago. The father-of-six, who comes from Edinburgh and now lives on Skye, centred his campaign around the strap-line "Time for change".
Mr Blackford’s involvement with the SNP goes back to the 1970s boom-and-bust days when dissident voices spilled from the ranks.
Aged 18, he was a member of a splinter group called The 79, a small "Scottish Resistance" faction of the SNP which sought to persuade the party to take an active left-wing stance.
Its decline came in 1982.
Fast-forward to 2000 and Mr Blackford was party treasurer at the centre of more ructions after a fall-out with then SNP leader Mr Salmond.
Mr Blackford changed direction and became the Edinburgh-based managing director of NatWest Securities.
But now, 15 years on, he has won his battle for a seat in Parliament.
Mr Blackford was up against another six contenders for the seat.
Philip Anderson, UK Independence Party (UKIP) won 814 votes, Ronnie Campbell, Independent, got 191 votes. Chris Conniff, Scottish Labour Party, won 2043 votes, Lindsay McCallum, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, secured 2598 votes and Anne Thomas, Scottish Green Party, took 1051 votes.
Mr Blackford, Dr Monaghan and Mr Hendry's wins take the number of SNP MPs to represent the Highlands, Islands and Moray since the party was formed in 1934 to eight.
Donald Stewart was MP for the Western Isles from 1970-1987. Winnie Ewing was MP for Moray and Nairn between 1974 and 1979. Her daughter-in-law Margaret Ewing was MP for Moray between 1987 and 2001 and Angus Robertson has been MP for Moray ever since. Angus MacNeil has been MP for Western Isles since 2005. They both held onto their seats this morning.
