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McArthur, Liam

Everything we have on one MSP — voting record, motions, questions, committee work, allowances, Hansard contributions, registered interests and career history — pulled together on a single page.

McArthur, Liam
MSP profile

McArthur, Liam

Sitting Scottish Liberal Democrats Orkney Islands

Politically, you're most like Wishart, Beatrice LD — similarity 80.1/100.

Compare with… Speeches Motions & Q+A
Divisions voted in
2,530
last on 24 Mar 2026
Party alignment
99.5%
0.5% rebellion
Attendance
89.1%
310 "Not Voted" of 2,840 divisions present
Motions lodged
1,174
3,605 questions · 6 unanswered
Hansard contributions
16,430
12,694 chamber · 3,736 committee
Allowances claimed
£435,396
4,181 transactions
Most-discussed topics in Hansard
bill ·380 stage ·358 levy ·117 assisted ·116 dying ·116 terminally ·116 adults ·116 care ·76 building ·69 safety ·69 medical ·57 non-surgical ·54
Recent motions & questions
Recent rebellions

Divisions where they voted against their party's majority position.

Motion success

Of the motions they've lodged that went to a vote, how often did the chamber agree.

Lodged
1,174
Carried
5
Defeated
25
Not divided
1,144

Of the 30 motions that went to a vote, 16.7% were carried.

Closest voting allies

MSPs who voted the same way most often across shared divisions.

Furthest apart on votes

MSPs they vote against most often.

MSPs like this one

Composite of voting agreement, sponsorship overlap, and Hansard topic affinity. Weighted 50 / 25 / 25.

Voice fingerprint

Words and phrases this MSP uses far more often than the chamber average (TF-IDF over their Hansard contributions).

con lab mid fife islands con south snp fife con east con south con glasgow lab mid valley snp west con
Voting drift across sessions

Rebellion rate (vs party majority) per session.

0.1%
S4 · LD
0.6%
S5 · LD
0.7%
S6 · LD
Career arc

Unified timeline: party joinings, seat changes, committee appointments, ministerial roles.

  1. ⌂
    Started representing Orkney Islands
    07 May 2026
  2. +
    Joined Scottish Liberal Democrats
    07 May 2026
  3. ☷
    Left Rural Affairs and Islands Committee
    08 Apr 2026
  4. ⌂
    Stood down from Orkney Islands (Dissolution)
    08 Apr 2026
  5. –
    Left Scottish Liberal Democrats
    08 Apr 2026
  6. ☷
    Joined Rural Affairs and Islands Committee as Substitute Member
    01 Feb 2023
  7. ☷
    Left Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee
    01 Feb 2023
  8. ☷
    Joined Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee as Substitute Member
    06 Oct 2021
  9. ☷
    Left Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee
    26 Aug 2021
  10. ☷
    Joined Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee as Deputy Convener
    22 Jun 2021
  11. ☷
    Left Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee
    22 Jun 2021
  12. ☷
    Joined Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee as Member
    17 Jun 2021
  13. ⌂
    Started representing Orkney Islands
    06 May 2021
  14. +
    Joined Scottish Liberal Democrats
    06 May 2021
  15. ☷
    Left Education and Skills Committee
    04 May 2021
  16. ☷
    Left Justice Sub-Committee on Policing
    04 May 2021
  17. ☷
    Left Justice Committee
    04 May 2021
  18. ⌂
    Stood down from Orkney Islands (Dissolution)
    04 May 2021
  19. –
    Left Scottish Liberal Democrats
    04 May 2021
  20. –
    Left Scottish Liberal Democrats
    14 Oct 2020
  21. +
    Joined Scottish Liberal Democrats
    14 Oct 2020
  22. ☷
    Joined Education and Skills Committee as Substitute Member
    08 Nov 2016
  23. ☷
    Joined Justice Sub-Committee on Policing as Member
    06 Oct 2016
  24. ☷
    Joined Justice Committee as Member
    08 Jun 2016
  25. ⌂
    Started representing Orkney Islands
    05 May 2016
  26. +
    Joined Scottish Liberal Democrats
    05 May 2016
  27. ☷
    Left Public Audit Committee
    23 Mar 2016
  28. ☷
    Left Education and Culture Committee
    23 Mar 2016
  29. ⌂
    Stood down from Orkney Islands (Dissolution)
    23 Mar 2016
  30. –
    Left Scottish Liberal Democrats
    23 Mar 2016
  31. ☷
    Joined Public Audit Committee as Substitute Member
    23 Jun 2011
  32. ☷
    Joined Education and Culture Committee as Member
    01 Jun 2011
  33. ⌂
    Started representing Orkney Islands
    05 May 2011
  34. +
    Joined Scottish Liberal Democrats
    05 May 2011
  35. ☷
    Left Rural Affairs and Environment Committee
    22 Mar 2011
  36. ☷
    Left Finance Committee
    22 Mar 2011
  37. ⌂
    Stood down from Orkney (Dissolution)
    22 Mar 2011
  38. –
    Left Scottish Liberal Democrats
    22 Mar 2011
  39. ☷
    Joined Rural Affairs and Environment Committee as Member
    03 Sep 2008
  40. ☷
    Joined Finance Committee as Substitute Member
    03 Sep 2008

6 earlier events not shown.

Who backs their motions most
Whose motions they back most
Recent contributions to the Official Report
  • Portfolio Question Time Chamber
    25 Mar 2026
    That concludes portfolio questions on health and social care. There will be a short pause before we move on to the next item of business.
  • Portfolio Question Time Chamber
    25 Mar 2026
    Always speak through the chair.
  • Portfolio Question Time Chamber
    25 Mar 2026
    We can have a couple of very brief supplementaries, with brief responses.
  • Portfolio Question Time Chamber
    25 Mar 2026
    We always discourage nicknames.
  • Portfolio Question Time Chamber
    25 Mar 2026
    I advise the chamber that we will struggle to get in supplementaries if the questions and responses remain as long as they have been.
Committee & government roles

Committee

Allowance — vs. party average (2025)

Per-category claim total for this MSP compared to the average per-MSP total inside their party for the same year. Positive = above party average.

Category MSP Party avg Difference
MSP & staff travel £9,817 £5,057 +£4,760
Office costs £6,565 £5,763 +£802
Incidental employment costs £178 £168 +£10
Engagement costs £1,261 £4,238 −£2,976
Edinburgh accommodation £5,026 £10,014 −£4,988
Registered interests

178 total · showing most recent.

  • Gifts · 20 May 2021
    On 6 May 2025 I received support for the production of briefing packs in relation to the Stage 1 debate for my Bill on Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults. The cost of production of the briefing…
  • Gifts · 20 May 2021
    On 6 May 2025 I received support for the production of briefing packs in relation to the Stage 1 debate for my Bill on Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults. The cost of production of the briefing…
  • Overseas visits · 20 May 2021
    From 9 February to 13 February 2024 I visited California, USA, as part of a cross-Party delegation of MSPs, meeting health professionals, family members of individuals who had used the state’s End of…
  • Overseas visits · 20 May 2021
    From 9 February to 13 February 2024 I visited California, USA, as part of a cross-party delegation of MSPs, meeting health professionals, family members of individuals who had used the state’s End of…
  • Overseas visits · 20 May 2021
    From 9 February to 13 February 2024 I visited California, USA, as part of a cross-party delegation of MSPs, meeting health professionals, family members of individuals who had used the state’s End of…
  • Overseas visits · 20 May 2021
    From 9 February to 13 February 2024 I visited California, USA, as part of a cross-party delegation of MSPs, meeting health professionals, family members of individuals who had used the state’s End of…
  • Overseas visits · 20 May 2021
    From 9 February to 13 February 2024 I visited California, USA, as part of a cross-party delegation of MSPs, meeting health professionals, family members of individuals who had used the state’s End of…
  • Overseas visits · 20 May 2021
    From 9 February to 13 February 2024 I visited California, USA, as part of a cross-party delegation of MSPs, meeting health professionals, family members of individuals who had used the state’s End of…
Career timeline

Party

Seats