2026 Scottish Parliament election

The 2026 Scottish Parliament election is due to be held on Thursday 7 May 2026, and will elect 129 members to the Scottish Parliament. It will be the seventh general election since the devolved parliament was re-established in 1999. Six parties have MSPs in the sixth parliament, although only five won seats at the last Scottish Parliament election in 2021: the Scottish National Party (SNP) led by First Minister John Swinney, the Scottish Conservatives led by Russell Findlay, Scottish Labour led by Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Greens, led by co-leaders Gillian Mackay and Ross Greer, and the Scottish Liberal Democrats, led by Alex Cole-Hamilton.

Of the main five parties, four have changed their leaders since the 2021 election. Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats have each received one MSP following a defection from the Conservatives, giving Reform UK an MSP after failing to elect any at the 2021 election, and increasing the Liberal Democrat's number of seats to 5. Seven members sit as independents after leaving or being suspended or expelled from their respective parties (two from the SNP, Ash Regan left the SNP for Alba before later becoming an independent, three from Labour, and one from the Conservatives). Additionally, Labour received an additional MSP when they won the 2025 Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election following the death of SNP MSP Christina McKelvie. It will be the first Scottish election since the 2024 United Kingdom general election, in which Labour won a landslide victory.^[1]

Since the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, Scottish politics has undergone a period of significant leadership transitions and shifting governing arrangements. In that election, the Scottish National Party (SNP) won 64 seats, falling one short of an overall majority. This led Nicola Sturgeon to negotiate the Bute House Agreement with the Scottish Greens, which brought Green MSPs into the government for the first time to secure a pro-independence majority in the chamber.

Sturgeon’s final term as First Minister was marked by a renewed push for a second independence referendum, though this was checked by a UK Supreme Court ruling in 2022 stating Holyrood could not legislate for a vote without Westminster's consent. Her government also faced intense debate over the Gender Recognition Reform Bill, which was ultimately blocked by the UK government. In February 2023, Sturgeon unexpectedly announced her resignation, citing the personal toll of the office and a desire to make way for new leadership.^[2]

Humza Yousaf won the subsequent leadership contest, becoming Scotland’s first ethnic minority First Minister. His tenure was characterised by the ongoing Operation Branchform police investigation into SNP finances and a difficult economic climate. In April 2024, Yousaf unilaterally terminated the Bute House Agreement with the Greens. This move backfired when the Greens withdrew their support for his leadership, and facing an imminent vote of no confidence, Yousaf resigned after thirteen months in office.^[3]

John Swinney, a former Deputy First Minister, was elected unopposed to succeed Yousaf and currently leads a minority government. His leadership has focused on party stabilisation following the 2024 UK general election, which saw Labour win a landslide victory and Scottish Labour replacing the SNP as the largest party in Scotland by Westminster seat count. While the constitutional debate remains central to Scottish discourse, the immediate path to a second referendum remains stalled by legal and political obstacles.^[4]

On 9 February 2026, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar held a press conference in Glasgow to publicly call for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to resign. Sarwar stated that "the distraction needs to end and the leadership in Downing Street has to change," citing a series of "mistakes" that he believed were undermining Labour's prospects in the upcoming elections. Sarwar described Starmer as "a decent man" and "a friend", but argued that his primary loyalty was to Scotland and that the Prime Minister's continued leadership was sabotaging the party's future.^[5]

The primary catalyst for this intervention was the fallout from the appointment of Peter Mandelson as British Ambassador to the United States, which had come under intense scrutiny due to Mandelson's past ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Sarwar's move followed the resignations of Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, and director of communications, Tim Allan. Sarwar said he had spoken to Starmer earlier that day to inform him of his decision, stating that the two had "disagreed" on the necessity of his resignation.

In the immediate aftermath, senior Cabinet members including Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy and Chancellor Rachel Reeves rallied behind Starmer, emphasising his mandate and urging party unity. Within Scottish Labour, the move caused significant friction; while Monica Lennon supported Sarwar's "leadership", others such as former Scottish Secretary Ian Murray branded the call a threat to party stability. First Minister John Swinney and Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay characterised the situation as "opportunism" and a "meltdown".^[1] Addressing the Parliamentary Labour Party later that evening, Starmer remained defiant, stating he had "won every fight I've ever been in" and refused to walk away.^[6]

In February 2026, the Alba Party entered a major financial and organisational crisis which ultimately led to the party being wound down ahead of the election. Party leader Kenny MacAskill warned members that Alba was unlikely to contest the election due to financial irregularities linked to alleged fraud and declining income, while discussions were ongoing with the Electoral Commission regarding compliance and the party’s future registration.^[7] The announcement triggered internal divisions within the party, with several National Executive Committee members and candidates disputing the leadership’s handling of the situation and calling for a membership ballot on whether Alba should stand in the election.^[8] The dispute escalated publicly in late February and early March, amid reports of resignations, candidate withdrawals and disagreements over access to party membership data. Party officials later stated that Alba was financially insolvent and unable to meet existing debts, while internal factions argued the party could continue if leadership changed and additional funds were raised.

On 8 March 2026, MacAskill announced that Alba would be wound down due to its financial position, effectively ending the party founded by Alex Salmond in 2021 and confirming it would not participate in the election.^[9][10][11]

Two further elections affecting Scotland took place between the 2021 and 2026 Scottish Parliament elections:

• May 2022: Scottish local government elections.
• July 2024: United Kingdom general election.

Under the Scottish Elections (Reform) Act 2020, an ordinary general election to the Scottish Parliament would normally be held on the first Thursday in May five years after the 2021 election, i.e. on 7 May 2026.^[12] This Act superseded the Scotland Act 1998, which had set elections in every fourth year.^[13] The date of the poll may be varied by up to one month either way by the monarch, on the proposal of the Presiding Officer, making 4 June 2026 the latest possible date for this election, assuming the convention of holding elections on a Thursday stands.^[13]

If Parliament itself resolves that it should be dissolved, with at least two-thirds of the members (i.e. 86 Members) voting in favour, the Presiding Officer proposes a date for an extraordinary general election and the Parliament is dissolved by the monarch by royal proclamation. It does not necessarily require a two-thirds majority to precipitate an extraordinary general election, because under the Scotland Act Parliament is also dissolved if it fails to nominate one of its members to be First Minister within certain time limits, irrespective of whether at the beginning or in the middle of a parliamentary term. Therefore, if the First Minister resigned, Parliament would then have 28 days to elect a successor (s46(2)b and s46(3)a). If no new First Minister was elected then the Presiding Officer would ask for Parliament to be dissolved under s3(1)a. This process could also be triggered if the First Minister lost a vote of confidence by a simple majority (i.e. more than 50%), as they must then resign (Scotland Act 1998 s45(2)). No extraordinary general elections have been held to date. Any extraordinary general elections would be in addition to ordinary general elections, unless held less than six months before the due date of an ordinary general election, in which case they supplant it. The subsequent ordinary general election reverts to the first Thursday in May, five years after the previous ordinary election.^[12][14]

The close of nominations is 1 April.^[15] The count will start on 8 May.^[15]

A record number of MSPs are not seeking re-election,^[16][17][18] with 39 as of December 2025.^[19] Eight of those stepping down were first elected at the formation of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, but only five have had unbroken service. Richard Lochhead briefly resigned his regional seat to contest a Moray by-election in 2006; Rhoda Grant lost her seat in 2003 and returned at the 2007 election; Sarah Boyack lost her seat in the 2016 election and returned in 2019. Of the original MSPs from 1999 with unbroken service, there are only three contesting the 2026 election: Jackie Baillie, Fergus Ewing and John Swinney.^[16]

The Scottish Socialist Party will be standing at least 8 candidates on regional lists.^[58]

On 21 February 2026, Alba Party leader Kenny MacAskill announced that the party was unlikely to be able to stand candidates due to an internal financial crisis.^[59] After this announcement Tommy Sheridan, Angus MacNeil, Christina Hendry and Suzanne Blackley issued a joint statement in which they offered to take over leadership of the Alba Party to ensure it can contest the election but this ultimately never materialised.^[60] On 8 March 2026, MacAskill announced that the party would deregister and therefore would be unable to stand in the election.^[61]

The total number of Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) elected to the Parliament is 129. The Scottish Parliament uses an additional member system (AMS), designed to produce approximate proportional representation for each region. There are eight regions, each sub-divided into smaller constituencies. There are a total of 73 constituencies. Each constituency elects one MSP by the plurality (first past the post) system of election. Each region elects seven additional MSPs using an additional member system. A modified D'Hondt method, using the constituency results, is used to elect these additional MSPs.^[62][63][64]

The Scottish Parliament constituencies have not been coterminous with Scottish Westminster constituencies since the 2005 general election, when the 72 former UK Parliament constituencies were replaced with a new set of 59, generally larger, constituencies (see Scottish Parliament (Constituencies) Act 2004). The boundaries used for the Scottish Parliament elections were then revised for the 2011 election. The Boundary Commission also recommended changes to the electoral regions used to elect "list" members of the Scottish Parliament,^[65] which were also implemented in 2011. The Second Periodic Review of constituency and regional boundaries began in September 2022 and was completed by May 2025.^[66][67] The proposals were formally approved in October 2025, establishing the constituencies and regions that will form the basis for the 2026 election.^[68]

According to Professor John Curtice main campaign issues include the economy, cost of living, health and social care services and immigration.^[69] Other issues include energy, housing and Scottish independence.^[70] Another issue is Starmer's leadership after Sarwar called for him to resign.^[71]

On 19 March 2026, Reform UK launched their manifesto.^[72] They also unveiled their constituency candidates.^[73]

Key

  SNP – Scottish National Party
  Conservative – Scottish Conservatives
  Labour – Scottish Labour
  Lib Dem – Scottish Liberal Democrats
  Green – Scottish Greens
  Alba – Alba Party
  Reform – Reform UK

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