Na h-Eileanan Iar Constituency Labour Party has selected well-known Lewis crofter
and community activist Donald MacKinnon, as their candidate for the 2026 Scottish
Parliament Election.
Mr MacKinnon came top in a selection vote of local members which ended on Saturday.
Since returning home from studying in Glasgow in 2017, he has worked in community development in Carloway and currently manages the community owned Carloway Estate Trust.
He worked to secure funding for the redevelopment of the Carloway Community Centre, including a successful community shop.
Mr MacKinnon who is an active crofter and a past chair of the Scottish Crofting Federation said: “I have a track record of delivering for communities and standing up for what is important to islanders. In both a voluntary and professional capacity, I have always fought to make these islands a better place.
“Over the coming months I am looking forward to travelling the length and breadth of the constituency to speak to voters about what matters most to them.”
He added: “We are being failed by the SNP and our current constituency representative in Holyrood. Our local authority is being starved of funding, infrastructure is crumbling, and opportunities are being missed, all preventing our islands from fulfilling their potential.
“In May 2026 voters in Na h-Eileanan an Iar will have the opportunity to elect an
MSP who will be a strong voice for our islands in the Scottish Parliament. I want
to be the person that makes island priorities heard in Edinburgh.”
Scottish Labour MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar Torcuil Crichton said the 2026 election
was a chance to connect Na h-Eileanan an Iar to a Labour government at Holyrood.
He said “Having both an MP and MSP who put the islands first will double the firepower and the influence of our islands.
“Donald played a key role in Labour’s emphatic win in Na h-Eileanan an Iar last year
and I am confident he is the candidate to take the lessons from that campaign into
the challenge for 2026.”
He added “For as long as I have known him Donald has fought to improve his own community and others. He is the candidate and the choice to make the islands a better place.”
Labour select Scottish Parliament election candidate for Western Isles
17 February 2025