This page tracks the policy pledges being made by Scotland’s political parties ahead of the Scottish Parliament election on Thursday 7th May 2026. Reform UK, the Scottish Conservatives, Scottish Labour, the Scottish Greens and the SNP have now published full manifestos. The Scottish Liberal Democrats are still to come.
Status: Live comparison article – updated following the release of the SNP manifesto.
Manifesto launch schedule
| Party | Status | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reform UK Scotland | Released | 19th March 2026 | Focus on tax cuts, NHS reform, energy and Holyrood reform. |
| Scottish Conservatives | Released | 7th April 2026 | Includes tax cuts, NHS changes and infrastructure investment. |
| Scottish Labour | Released | 13th April 2026 | Focus on NHS reform, housing, education and transport. |
| Scottish Greens | Released | 14th April 2026 | Focus on climate, wealth taxes, transport and childcare. |
| SNP | Released | 16th April 2026 | Includes pledges on NHS investment, cost of living, childcare and independence. |
| Scottish Liberal Democrats | Scheduled | 17th April 2026 | Awaiting publication |
Party comparison at a glance
| Policy area | SNP | Scottish Conservatives | Scottish Labour | Scottish Greens | Reform UK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NHS and care | £10 billion NHS infrastructure plan, 26-week maximum wait target, expansion of GPs, new national appointment system and increased mental health and rehab services. | 48-hour GP access guarantee, reduce NHS waiting times, open promised treatment centres and increase procedures. | End the 8am rush for GP appointments, bring back the family doctor, invest in scanners, expand NHS capacity and pay care workers £15 an hour. | Increase GP investment, aim for one GP per 1,000 patients, recruit more staff, end dental charges and invest more in mental health and palliative care. | Keep the NHS free at the point of need, set up a Scottish Healthcare Reform Commission, improve workforce planning and expand community and GP services. |
| Education | Maintain teacher numbers, expand support for additional needs, introduce a classroom mobile phone ban and protect free university tuition. | Raise standards, support teachers, increase classroom assistants and ban mobile phones in classrooms. | 2,000 education recovery teachers, 1,500 classroom assistants, breakfast clubs and a mobile phone ban. | Raise the school starting age to seven, reduce class sizes, cut teacher workload, expand free school meals and reduce the role of high-stakes exams. | Scrap Education Scotland, move to a knowledge-based curriculum, restore exams and standardised testing, and ban mobile phones in classrooms. |
| Housing | 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, £10,000 support for first-time buyers and new tenant rights including first refusal when properties are sold. | Scrap LBTT on primary residences, oppose rent controls and reduce building costs by removing regulations. | 125,000 new homes by 2031, including more than 50,000 affordable homes. | Build at least 15,700 social homes a year, strengthen rent controls, act on empty homes and aim to end homelessness by 2040. | Target 75,000 affordable homes over five years, restore a local connection rule for housing and repeal SNP rental regulations for new tenancies. |
| Economy and jobs | 150,000 apprenticeships, support for business growth, maintain the Small Business Bonus scheme and attract international investment. | Support businesses, create enterprise-style zones, cut red tape and back a Jobs for Life training programme. | 9,000 apprenticeships, business loans and a new industrial strategy. | Tax wealth rather than work, expand green industry and target 40,000 new green energy jobs by the end of the Parliament. | Cut income tax, reduce tax bands, align Scottish tax more closely with the rest of the UK and build growth around 10 business sectors. |
| Energy | Net zero by 2045, expand renewables, £500 million Just Transition Fund and no new nuclear power stations. | Back oil and gas, support new nuclear power and scrap the 2045 Net Zero target. | Support renewables expansion and remove the block on new nuclear energy. | Oppose new oil and gas extraction, invest £600 million in renewables, expand community energy and oppose new nuclear generation. | Scrap Net Zero-related targets, subsidies and quangos, support North Sea oil and gas and end the ban on new nuclear facilities in Scotland. |
| Transport | £2 bus fare cap, rail fare freeze, major road investment and continued public transport expansion. | National pothole fund, trunk road upgrades, bridge restoration fund and opposition to new charges on drivers. | £350 million potholes fund, Glasgow Airport Rail Link and rail investment. | Expand free bus travel to everyone, introduce a £2 bus fare cap in transition, abolish first class on ScotRail and bring more buses under local control. | End what it calls the war on the motor car, fix potholes, abolish ULEZ, support the Clyde Metro and modernise roads, ferries, rail and harbours over 10 years. |
| Cost of living | Price caps on essential food items, £2 bus fares, expanded heating payments and continued free prescriptions. | Reduce costs and cut taxes, with a wider focus on bills and household budgets. | Focus on lowering bills, improving household finances and wider economic stability. | Expand public services, reduce travel costs and shift more of the tax burden onto wealth. | Lower taxes, cut public spending and reduce what it says are policy-driven household costs. |
| Policing and justice | Increase police funding, tougher action on antisocial behaviour, a new misogyny law and reforms to football banning orders. | More patrols, repeal the Hate Crime Act, tougher sentencing and more prison capacity. | Named local officers and stronger action on antisocial behaviour. | Focus on prevention, legal aid reform, alternatives to prison for non-violent offenders and a misogyny bill. | Back the police, repeal the Hate Crime and Public Order Act, increase prison capacity and introduce tougher sentences for repeat offenders. |
| Government reform | Reduce the number of public bodies, expand digital public services and pursue an independence referendum if a majority is secured. | Cut quangos by at least a quarter, create a Taxpayer Savings Act and strengthen whistleblowing and transparency rules. | Cut a third of quangos, create a Scottish Treasury and introduce a right to recall MSPs. | Support independence, recall powers for MSPs, automatic voter registration and wider human rights law. | Shut down quangos, create a department of government efficiency, reduce MSP numbers and introduce a Recall Bill. |
Headline numbers and targets
| Measure | SNP | Scottish Conservatives | Scottish Labour | Scottish Greens | Reform UK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New homes | 110,000 affordable homes by 2032 | No single overall target highlighted in the manifesto summary | 125,000 by 2031 | At least 15,700 social homes a year to 2031 | 75,000 affordable homes over five years |
| Apprenticeships | 150,000 apprenticeships | Demand-led apprenticeship model backed by levy funding | 9,000 new apprenticeships | New Deal for Apprenticeships with fair pay and adult entry routes | Reboot levy funding and link apprenticeships to colleges |
| Tax | No increase to income tax rates or bands, with additional taxes on wealth such as a mansion tax | Lower income tax and raise thresholds | No income tax rate rises for five years, with ambition to lower tax later | Replace Council Tax, add wealth and environmental taxes, and keep income tax progressive | Scrap six Scottish tax bands and move below rest-of-UK rates |
| Transport fares | £2 national bus fare cap | No single national fares pledge highlighted in the manifesto summary | No single national fares pledge highlighted in the manifesto summary | Free bus travel for all, with £2 fare cap during transition | No national fares cap highlighted in the manifesto summary |
What happens next: The Scottish Liberal Democrats are due to publish their manifesto on Friday, 17th April 2026. This article will be updated as further details emerge.