Scottish election 2026: Who should I vote for? Compare party policies

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Scottish election 2026: Who should I vote for? Compare party policies23 April 2026 Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleAll 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament are up for grabs when Scotland goes to the polls on 7 May - have you decided which party will get your vote? If not, this guide offers a simple summary of where the main parties stand on the issues most important to voters, based on the promises they have made during the campaign.

Select an issue from the options below and choose the parties that interest you to see their policies. This interactive has been put together by the 's Visual Journalism team and journalists in Glasgow. Its aim is to summarise where the parties stand on key topics to help voters make informed decisions at the ballot box.

The Details

The policies have been selected and summarised in an editorial process overseen by journalists. All parties included in the guide have been contacted by the and given the opportunity to identify their key policies in each area. How were the issues chosen?

The policy areas featured in this guide were selected using polling data on what the public consider to be the most important issues facing their nations. The polls were online surveys of more than 2,000 people in Scotland and were carried out by Savanta for the between 29 January and 6 February 2026. Some issues have been grouped together under short titles for simplicity.

For example, personal finance and tax, energy bills, inflation, poverty, benefits and childcare are all covered in the "Cost of living" category. Some of the issues cover areas where the Scottish Parliament has limited power because of how devolution works. For example, the UK government in Westminster has control over most issues relating to "defence" and "immigration".

What Experts Say

For this reason, the guide highlights where most of the power lies for each issue to acknowledge that some party policies cannot become law unless they are passed by the UK government. You can find out more about devolution and reserved powers here. How were the parties chosen and ordered?

In order for a party to be included in the guide it must be standing candidates in at least one sixth of the total seats up for election in Scotland or fielding at least four candidates in all eight regional lists. Parties are ordered based on the number of seats they won in the last Scottish Parliament elections in 2021 and evidence of past and current electoral support. You can find out which candidates are standing in your area using the 's tool here.

Produced by Claire Diamond, Beta Yee, Zoe Bartholomew, Grace Richardson, Ryan Smith, Preeti Vaghela, Chris Clayton and Mike Hills. SIMPLE GUIDE: What elections are taking place in May? EXPLAINER: What can't you do at a polling station?

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.