This page tracks the policy pledges being made by Scotland’s political parties ahead of the Scottish Parliament election on Thursday 7th May 2026.
Not all parties have published their manifestos yet. Scottish Labour, the Scottish Conservatives and Reform UK have already released full manifestos, while the Scottish Greens, SNP and Scottish Liberal Democrats are due to publish theirs later this week.
Status: Live comparison article – currently based on Scottish Labour, Scottish Conservative and Reform UK manifestos, with more due to be added as they are published.
Manifesto launch schedule
| Party | Status | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scottish Labour | Released | 13th April 2026 | Launched with a focus on NHS reform, housing, education and transport. |
| Scottish Conservatives | Released | 7th April 2026 | Released with pledges including income tax cuts, NHS changes and infrastructure investment. |
| Reform UK Scotland | Released | 19th March 2026 | One of the first to publish, focusing on tax cuts, NHS reform, energy and Holyrood reform. |
| Scottish Greens | Scheduled | Tuesday, 14th April 2026 | Awaiting publication |
| SNP | Scheduled | Thursday, 16th April 2026 at 10:00am | Awaiting publication |
| Scottish Liberal Democrats | Scheduled | Friday, 17th April 2026 | Awaiting publication |
Party comparison at a glance
| Policy area | Scottish Labour | Scottish Conservatives | Reform UK |
|---|---|---|---|
| NHS and care | 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. | Guarantee a GP appointment within 48 hours, reduce NHS waiting times, open promised treatment centres and increase procedures. | 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 | 2,000 education recovery teachers, 1,500 classroom assistants, breakfast clubs and a mobile phone ban. | Raise standards, support teachers, increase classroom assistants and ban mobile phones in classrooms. | Scrap Education Scotland, move to a knowledge-based curriculum, restore exams and standardised testing, and ban mobile phones in classrooms. |
| Housing | 125,000 new homes by 2031, including more than 50,000 affordable homes. | Scrap LBTT on primary residences, oppose rent controls and reduce building costs by removing regulations. | 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 | 9,000 apprenticeships, business loans and a new industrial strategy. | Support businesses, create enterprise-style zones, cut red tape and back a Jobs for Life training programme. | 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 | Support renewables expansion and remove the block on new nuclear energy. | Back oil and gas, support new nuclear power and scrap the 2045 Net Zero target. | 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 | £350 million potholes fund, Glasgow Airport Rail Link and rail investment. | National pothole fund, trunk road upgrades, bridge restoration fund and opposition to new charges on drivers. | 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. |
| Policing and justice | Named local officers and stronger action on antisocial behaviour. | More patrols, repeal the Hate Crime Act, tougher sentencing and more prison capacity. | Back the police, repeal the Hate Crime and Public Order Act, increase prison capacity and introduce tougher sentences for repeat offenders. |
| Government reform | Cut a third of quangos, create a Scottish Treasury and introduce a right to recall MSPs. | Cut quangos by at least a quarter, create a Taxpayer Savings Act and strengthen whistleblowing and transparency rules. | Shut down quangos, create a department of government efficiency, reduce MSP numbers and introduce a Recall Bill. |
Headline numbers and targets
| Measure | Scottish Labour | Scottish Conservatives | Reform UK |
|---|---|---|---|
| New homes | 125,000 by 2031 | No single overall target highlighted in the manifesto summary | 75,000 affordable homes over five years |
| Apprenticeships | 9,000 new apprenticeships | Demand-led apprenticeship model backed by levy funding | Reboot levy funding and link apprenticeships to colleges |
| Tax | No income tax rate rises for five years, with ambition to lower tax later | Lower income tax and raise thresholds | Scrap six Scottish tax bands and move below rest-of-UK rates |
| Potholes / roads | £350 million potholes fund | National Pothole Action Fund | 10-year roads and infrastructure plan |
What happens next: The Scottish Greens are due to publish their manifesto on Tuesday, 14th April 2026. The SNP manifesto is scheduled for Thursday, 16th April 2026 at 10:00am, and the Scottish Liberal Democrats are due to publish theirs on Friday, 17th April 2026. This article will be updated as each document is released.