MP calls for tunnels saying outer isles are facing ‘dead time’ in the struggle to transport salmon “If tunnels were built, the problems with the ferries would stop and salmon exports would get to market in a fresher condition.”

Shetland's' island communities deserve support from the Scottish Government to build the tunnels which could make such a difference to their economy. www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/news/mp-call...

That Mr Farage made his visit days after it was revealed that Russian submarines had been surveilling energy pipelines and communications cables in our northern waters did raise a few eyebrows. Perhaps Vladimir asked him to pop up and take a closer look when the “covert” operation did not work out.

Farage in town on flying visit to Shetland REFORM leader Nigel Farage has arrived in Shetland as part of a tour around the country as the Scottish elections loom. He arrived at Sumburgh Airport earlier...

This morning, Police Scotland released a public service announcement, warning for rural communities to be vigilant for “suspicious people” of ill-intent.

In unrelated news, on Tuesday morning Nigel Farage flew to the Northern Isles in his private plane.

www.shetnews.co.uk/2026/04/14/f...

The announcement today should be a reminder, too, that isolationism and nationalism are luxuries we cannot afford. We need to be working more closely together across the UK, Europe and beyond, not less, if we are going to counter threats from Russia and other malign actors in the long term.

It is for exactly these reasons that I have continued to press the government to make greater security and resilience for our islands a priority over recent years. I met with the Security Minister in February to raise similar points, and I know that this is something that they are alive to.

Revelations of further Russian incursions in our waters, targeting undersea cables and pipelines, should be a reminder of how important these connections are and that we cannot take their security for granted. Glad the government is trying to be transparent, where possible, about their response.

SNP minister Maree Todd this week shared an ‘April Fool’ mock-up of a CalMac ferry, covered in SNP branding. With at least seven CalMac ferries currently out of action and half of all west coast crossings facing disruption or cancellations as we head into Easter – to say nothing of the years of mismanagement that preceded this crisis – Maree Todd’s ferry ‘joke’ is another reminder of just how much Scottish islanders have been taken for fools by the SNP. - Alistair Carmichael

"People up and down the west coast are waking up to the reality that having SNP MSPs has not given them a ‘seat at the table’ with the Scottish Government – it has given them a licence to be ignored, talked down to, and worse still, mocked."

@amcarmichaelmp.bsky.social

Then again, ferries painted in SNP colours would at least represent an upgrade from the SNP’s history of launching boats with painted-on windows.

Tweet from Maree Todd reading: "Cracking day in Ullapool today!" Image shows a Calmac ferry edited to show the SNP logo and read "VOTE TODD".

Another fake SNP ferry launch.

How tone deaf can you get to the plight of islanders right now.

The SNP just don't get it.

An important and adorable veterinary update.

Caabu and Action for Humanity Eid reception in Parliament Caabu and Action for Humanity Eid reception in ParliamentOn 23 March 2026, we hosted an Eid Reception in parliament, alongside our partner, Action for Humanity.We were delighted to welcome guests and...

We hosted an Eid Reception in parliament with @actionforhumanity.bsky.social.

Grateful for contributions from Palestinian Ambassador, Husam Zomlot, @chris-doyle.bsky.social @othmanmoqbel.bsky.social, @julieelliottexmp.bsky.social, & for Chair @amcarmichaelmp.bsky.social
caabu.org/news/news/ca...

Great to join Alex Cole-Hamilton to launch the Scottish Liberal Democrats campaign! From the water to our amazing activists, the energy is undeniable.

We’re fighting for our communities, fixing the NHS, and putting local voices first. We’re winning and just getting started! 🔶

Discounted electricity trial could be way into ‘Shetland tariff’, MP says GOVERNMENT plans to tackle constraint payments to renewable energy companies could be a way to deliver a “Shetland tariff”, Northern Isles MP Alistair...

Tackling the scandal of constraint payments was the first issue I raised with Keir Starmer after he became Prime Minister in 2024. I am glad that we are seeing some movement at last, through this trial plan to cut energy prices.

www.shetnews.co.uk/2026/03/24/d...

Always good to meet with the National Farmers' Union Scotland in Parliament - talking about everything from the impact of the conflict in the Middle East through to sheep shearer visas.

Malcolm Offord should be utterly ashamed of some of his candidate's behaviour, and his own defence of them speaks volumes about his moral compass, or lack thereof. Less than 24 hours after dropping a candidate list full of crackpots and failed Tories, Malcolm Offord and Reform have shown their true colours. I have every confidence that the people of Scotland will roundly reject them come May. - Jamie Greene

Malcolm Offord has just proved why he and his party should be nowhere near politics or power.

During this car crash interview, this mansion-residing lord showed he only has a manifesto for peddling intolerance, ignorance and division.

Grateful to join colleague and Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee @amcarmichaelmp.bsky.social to talk to local farming advocates Robin, David and Phil about the impacts and solutions to the Family Farm Tax. The government must back farmers, their work is vital to communities.

Alistair Carmichael MP chairs the committee that scrutinises the Government on farming, so it was good to introduce him to farmers from across North Shropshire this week.

He heard first-hand the challenges they’re currently facing, and how this Labour Government is failing farmers.

Good news that the government has relented and granted much-needed visas for sheep shearers - averting a potential animal welfare crisis for 1.5 million sheep in this country. What is less good is that ministers say they will refuse to grant the same visas next year - so more work to be done.

Scottish families who rely on heating oil are being left to bear the brunt of shocks to the global market in their bills.

The UK Government must provide immediate relief for households who are grappling with rocketing oil and gas prices caused by the conflict in the Middle East.

@amcarmichaelmp.bsky.social speaking on behalf of many of his constituents here. A reminder that #Orkney and #Shetland don't have mains gas & while many of us have electricity based heating now, lots of properties rely on oil heating. The cost of which has doubled in a week. A real concern for many.

Also the reality that (contrary to fans of "strong" national identity as a way of doing politics), for most people their national identity within the UK does not determine their politics. They may identify with a certain national label but it doesn't determine their views on (say) transport policy.

I think we are in agreement!

Or indeed both, and more besides. Defining identities as "progressive" or "regressive" misses the point that we are better off wearing these things lightly. If there is a lesson in Scottish politics for the last decade and a half, it is surely that...

We have a looming animal welfare crisis in our sheep flocks due to a lack of access to shearers, caused by the Home Office. When I raised these issues with DEFRA senior civil servants last week it was clear that they were not aware of the issue, let alone on top of it - they must get a grip of it.

A rapid increase in the cost of heating oil and red diesel would mean a “double whammy” of harm to the rural economy, and to island communities in particular. The government must set out its response as soon as possible - which is why I have written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer this afternoon.

What is missing here, particularly in relation to the UK role in the current conflict, is a clear sense of what our interests and objectives are. If there is a lesson from Iraq, it is surely that wars of choice without a clear objective or endpoint are likely to linger with us far beyond the initial moment of intervention. - Alistair Carmichael

"Every bomb that is dropped on Iran – and dropped by Iran on its neighbours – will create ripples that spread far and wide.

The Prime Minister – and those who would cheerlead us into another war in the Middle East – would be wise to reflect upon that legacy."

@amcarmichaelmp.bsky.social

119 UK Parliamentarians call for further sanctions on Israel and a total ban on all trade and interaction with illegal Israeli settlements in letter to @yvettecooper-mp.bsky.social following yet further illegal Israeli government measures in the occupied State of Palestine. caabu.org/news/news/11...

🐑 That means around 1.5million sheep currently going unsheared, including plenty in North Shropshire.

🌍️ International shearers are essential to help manage the UK sheep flock. To avoid an animal welfare crisis, we need a plan, rapidly.

✅️ When I questioned the Home Office recently, officials said they expected DEFRA to have a plan for shearing in place by now.

🤷‍♀️ DEFRA was questioned yesterday - it seems like there is no plan.

Willie is absolutely right: Island crofters and farmers were supposed to be targeted as beneficiaries of FFIS, but Shetland businesses were awarded less than 1.9% of the first round funds, and the Western Isles a miserly 0.2%. The SNP will not improve until they admit what went wrong the first time.