The SNP selects MSP Maree Todd as its 2026 Caithness, Sutherland and Ross candidate joining Kate Forbes and Emma Roddick in the Highland constituency races
The SNP has selected MSP Maree Todd as its 2026 Caithness, Sutherland and Ross candidate in the 2026 Scottish Parliament elections.
Ms Todd has been a Highland MSP since 2016 and has held the far north seat since Gail Ross stood down back in 2021 and was not challenged by any other member.
She has in that time served in a number of ministerial roles, including minister public and women's health; minister for children and is currently minister for social care, mental wellbeing and sport.
The announcement rounds out the field of SNP constituency candidates with Kate Forbes in Skye, Lochaber & Badenoch and Emma Roddick in Inverness and Nairn.
The Ullapool native hit out at both the Conservatives and Labour arguing that the “SNP offers a genuine alternative—leading Scotland on the path to independence and towards a fairer, stronger future.”
Ms Todd said: “It has been the privilege of my life to represent the people of Caithness, Sutherland and Ross over the past four years. I am deeply honoured to have once again received the support and trust of local SNP members, and I am delighted to stand again as the constituency candidate in the next year’s Scottish Parliament election.
“This constituency faces a distinct set of challenges—challenges I am neither naive to nor complacent about. I fully recognise the urgent need for meaningful improvements in key public services, particularly in local healthcare provision.
“We have made progress, a 10 per cent fall in orthopaedic waiting times in NHS Highland, thanks to the Scottish Government’s targeted investment in the Highland National Treatment Centre, is evidence of that.
“I'm focused on building on that progress and making sure that communities across Caithness, Sutherland and Ross see real, lasting improvements in healthcare—improvements that meet local needs and consider the unique geography and demographics of the Highlands.”
Maree Todd MSP adds: "While the UK Labour Government seems set on repeating the mistakes of the Tory–Lib Dem austerity years by pushing policies that will only deepen the cost-of-living crisis—the SNP Scottish Government is taking a different approach.
“We’re focused on supporting households and doing everything we can to protect the most vulnerable people in our communities.
“From mitigating the impact of Westminster’s two-child limit in Scotland, lifting a further 15,000 children out of poverty, to reinstating winter fuel payments – we are doing all we can within the limited powers of devolution to stand up for Scotland and shield people from the consequences of decisions made elsewhere.
“For years, Labour has insisted that Scotland doesn’t need independence—it just needs to get rid of the Tories. Yet nearly a year into a UK Labour Government, the reality is they have delivered no real change, no bold vision, and certainly no break from the status quo.
“Only the SNP offers a genuine alternative—leading Scotland on the path to independence and towards a fairer, stronger future.”
