According to Professor
John Curtice main campaign issues include the economy, cost of living, health and social care services and immigration. Other issues include energy, housing and Scottish independence. Another issue is Starmer's leadership after Sarwar called for him to resign. On 10 March 2026,
BBC Scotland's podcast
Scotcast started airing leader interviews with the party leaders in the run-up to the election. On 19 March,
Malcolm Offord and
Nigel Farage launched Reform UK's manifesto in
Bishopton,
Renfrewshire, positioning itself as a challenger to the established parties with a platform centred on tax cuts, immigration control and economic deregulation. A key proposal is to reduce Scottish income tax to levels below those in the rest of the UK, alongside broader commitments to cut public spending and roll back green policies in order to lower energy costs. The party has also emphasised stricter law and order measures, opposition to what it describes as “net zero ideology”, and support for domestic energy production and business growth through reduced regulation. They also unveiled their constituency candidates. The following day, Stuart Niven, the candidate for
Dundee City West, was suspended following revelations that he was disqualified as a company director. In the days that followed, four more candidates stood down from standing for Reform UK. On 21 March, the Scottish Greens announced a commitment to raising the minimum wage for
care workers to £15 per hour. Other policies announced by the party include, expanding funded childcare, higher tax on the super rich, big businesses, big banks, as well as casinos and bookies, and a commitment to
free bus travel for everyone in Scotland via a bus network under public control. On 27 March,
The National announced that they would be hosting a hustings which would feature representatives of the six main parties to be hosted on 7 April however the Conservatives and Labour declined to appear, and on 6 April, the day before the hustings,
Thomas Kerr, the Reform representative pulled out, criticising
The National and accusing them of spreading misinformation on his party's stance on corporal punishment in schools. The
Holyrood Sources podcast announced that they would host a hustings event with the party leaders on 1 April. On 1 April, Scottish Labour candidate for
Glasgow Southside Mohammed Ameen was replaced by Rashid Hussain following criminal charges. SNP candidate for and leader of the SNP group on
North Lanarkshire Council Tracy Carragher was suspended from the party and dropped as an election candidate. On 4 April, the Scottish Greens announced a commitment to end all NHS dental charges, ensuring free dental care for all in Scotland. The party also stated that it would expand the role of dental therapists in order to speed up waiting times. On 12 April,
UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting stated on
LBC that the UK Government would never grant the Scottish Parliament the powers to hold a
second independence referendum. These comments were criticised by the SNP and Scottish Greens. LBC journalist Gina Davidson stated that Streeting’s comments might have just made the election catch fire and result in SNP supporters to go and turnout to vote. The subject was brought up in the leader’s debate hosted in Paisley that evening where Anas Sarwar was challenged and refused to answer on what mechanism would need to be in place for a second referendum to be granted.
Scottish Labour leader
Anas Sarwar launched his party’s manifesto in Edinburgh on 13 April, presenting the election as an opportunity to “fix” public services after nearly two decades of SNP government, appealing to the public to give him “five years to fix the SNP’s mess”. The manifesto outlined a programme focused on economic reform and public service investment, including plans to build over 50,000 affordable homes, recruit additional teachers, and reduce business rates. It also proposed tax changes aimed at easing pressure on middle-income earners, reforms to public bodies, and support for sectors such as the arts, alongside a more centrist economic approach that includes openness to new nuclear energy projects. On 14 April, the internal pro-LGBT group Scottish Labour Against Bigotry attacked the manifesto as "explicitly transphobic" due to its stated commitment to "single-[biological] sex spaces, in NHS wards, schools, sport and everyday life", and urged the electorate not to vote for the party. On 14 April, the Scottish Greens launched their manifesto in Glasgow, presenting promises such as taking bus services into public ownership, introducing a
universal basic income, and widening access to funded childcare. The SNP launched their manifesto on 16 April in Glasgow with key pledges including capping the price of essential food items, introducing a £2 nationwide bus fare cap, and supporting business through a new “major projects office” and high-growth unit. The party has committed to no income tax increases for most earners while proposing targeted taxes on large corporations, alongside increased investment in healthcare and education. Additional policies include banning smartphones in classrooms and a £10,000 deposit support scheme for first-time buyers, with
Scottish independence remaining a central objective. The Liberal Democrats launched their manifesto on 17 April.
Labour–Reform UK alliance claims Claims and speculation surrounding a potential alliance between Scottish Labour and Reform UK became a significant point of contention during the campaign period, particularly in exchanges between party leaders and during televised debates. During the SNP’s campaign launch on 26 March, First Minister John Swinney argued that the absence of an SNP majority could lead to what he described as a “grubby deal” between Anas Sarwar and Reform UK. Swinney framed the prospect as a risk of Labour seeking power through informal arrangements with parties on the right, positioning the SNP as the only safeguard against such an outcome, citing issues within
Fife Council as a recent example. Sarwar rejected the claim, stating that Scottish Labour would not enter into any agreements or cooperation with Reform UK, and reiterated that his party’s focus was on winning a mandate to govern in its own right. The issue gained further prominence on 30 March, when debate emerged over Scottish Labour’s electoral strategy following its campaign launch, after reports suggested the party was exploring a pathway to power that could rely on a fragmented parliament and a strong performance by Reform UK on the regional list. Senior Labour figures indicated that gains in key central belt constituencies, combined with vote splitting among unionist parties, could potentially allow the party to form a minority government. However, polling experts including Professor John Curtice and academic Mark McGeoghegan expressed strong scepticism, noting that Labour remained significantly behind the SNP in most polls and that the rise of Reform UK was more likely to divide the anti-SNP vote than assist Labour. Analysts described the scenario as highly unlikely without a substantial and unprecedented shift in voter support. Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay refused to rule out that his party would vote to make Sarwar the First Minister in this scenario. During the
Channel 4 News leaders’ debate on 14 April, Malcolm Offord claimed that Anas Sarwar had suggested cooperation between Scottish Labour and Reform UK to prevent the SNP from remaining in power. Offord alleged that the conversation took place following the recording of
Question Time at
Paisley Town Hall in December 2025. Sarwar rejected the claim following the debate, describing it as untrue and reiterating that Scottish Labour would not enter into any deals or arrangements with Reform UK. The dispute continued after the broadcast, with Offord standing by his remarks in subsequent media appearances, while Sarwar described the allegation as a “desperate lie” and repeated that there would be “no deals” or “backroom stitch-ups”. The row was amplified by other parties during the campaign, with the SNP citing the exchange as evidence of a potential post-election alignment, while Labour and other parties dismissed the claims as speculative and politically motivated. Reform UK councillor and candidate Thomas Kerr stated that Sarwar had made similar remarks to him in November 2025, claiming that Labour MP
Maureen Burke was present during the exchange, while Offord said an aide had also witnessed his alleged conversation. Reform sources further suggested that comparable discussions had taken place in Holyrood in recent months. On 20 April, the dispute widened further following additional claims and counterclaims involving Graham Simpson and Kerr. Sarwar alleged that Simpson had privately criticised senior Reform figures, claims which Simpson rejected as “completely ridiculous”. Simpson in turn asserted that Sarwar had approached him on three occasions in Holyrood to discuss working together to remove the SNP from power, echoing similar claims made by Offord and Kerr in the preceding days. Sarwar denied these allegations, maintaining that no such discussions had taken place.
Election debates and hustings == Candidates ==