The Scottish Conservative manifesto contains pledges to provide more money for Scots families and cut Scottish Government spending. Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said the party's proposals are 'fully costed' and make economic growth the number one priority for the next Scottish Parliament. The manifesto includes measures to help families with the cost of living crisis by scrapping the 20p basic rate and 21p intermediate rate of income tax, meaning workers would pay a 19p rate on all taxable earnings above the personal allowance until the current higher rate threshold. It also pledges to cut £1.5 billion from spending on public bodies, cut the number of quangos by at least a quarter, cut civil servant numbers to 2016 levels, and reduce the amount spent on foreign aid. Additionally, the manifesto pledges to oppose any attempt to hold another independence referendum, ban the Scottish Government from spending taxpayers' money on pro-independence propaganda, and introduce a pledge that all civil servants must sign to remain neutral on the constitution. How this proposal to cut £1.5 billion from public bodies would affect specific services and jobs in Scotland remains unclear.
In Wales, Reform UK's manifesto for the Senedd election includes pledges to scrap the 20mph default limit, build an M4 relief road, and cut income tax. The manifesto states it will 'urgently consider' the viability of the Welsh Government-owned Cardiff Airport but stops short of committing to a sale. It includes a pledge to 'review' business rates and not to introduce any new Welsh-controlled tax, and vows to cut income tax by 1% at all bands. Reform UK promises to 'slash waiting lists, end corridor care, and future-proof the NHS by upgrading hospitals'. The manifesto also includes a pledge to prioritise Welsh people and veterans on social housing waiting lists based on a strict 10-year residency requirement. Reform UK's leader in Wales, Dan Thomas, said cutting the Welsh civil service by 10% would mean the loss of around 580 jobs over the Senedd term. When asked if Reform would match Labour's pledge to build a replacement for Cardiff's University Hospital of Wales, Dan Thomas said there would be an 'audit of the entire NHS estate'. He added that upgrades would be found through efficiencies. How Reform UK plans to fund its proposed M4 relief road in Wales is not specified in the manifesto.
The Scottish Greens have promised to make bus travel and dental treatment free for everyone in Scotland, expand funded childcare, and deliver 40,000 new green energy jobs. They have proposed expanding free bus travel to everyone in Scotland, with bus fares capped at £2 until that is delivered and fees immediately scrapped for under-30s. The Scottish Greens manifesto vows to introduce an integrated ticket that would work on all transport networks with the price capped. The party said it would tax the country's wealthiest individuals and companies, as well as polluting industries, to pay for public services. It committed to new taxes on landlords, supermarkets and other large retailers selling alcohol and tobacco, gambling companies, and large online retailers, as well as developing new proposals for a Scottish wealth tax and a levy on private schools. Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer said his party would scrap and replace council tax with a new residential property tax based on its value. The specific details of how these proposed taxes on the wealthy and polluting industries would be implemented and how much revenue they would generate are not yet fully outlined.
A dossier published by the Scottish Conservatives ahead of John Swinney launching the SNP's manifesto highlighted a list of failures and broken promises from the SNP's 2021 Holyrood election manifesto. One of the SNP's 2021 pledges was to 'freeze income tax rates and bands and increase thresholds by a maximum of inflation', but an extra 1p was added to the top two rates in 2023/24 and a new 'advanced' 45p rate was introduced in 2024/25 on earnings above £75,000. A 2021 SNP pledge was to recruit an extra 3,500 teachers and classroom assistants during the five-year term, but numbers of teachers declined by 810.
If we need to replace it we will, or if we need to upgrade we will upgrade.
Reform UK leaders have framed the upcoming elections as referendums on current governments. Nigel Farage said the May Senedd election was a 'referendum' on how Keir Starmer is running the UK Government. At the launch of Reform UK's Scottish parliamentary election manifesto, Nigel Farage pledged to 'challenge the Holyrood consensus'. Reform UK's Scottish manifesto, led by Lord Malcolm Offord, promises to be guided by principles of sound finances and economic growth while cutting waste in the public sector.
The Scottish Greens have positioned themselves as a pro-independence force seeking a majority. Scottish Greens co-leader Gillian Mackay said the party would stretch the powers of devolution 'to their limits' to deliver a 'fairer and better future'. She said more Green MSPs would help secure a pro-independence majority at Holyrood, which she said was the route to a second referendum.
Ahead of its manifesto launch, the SNP said it would contain commitments to give the NHS the resources it needs to 'continue delivering progress'. The SNP's manifesto will commit to a ban on displays of vapes, meaning they would be hidden from view in stores.
Reform UK's Welsh policies also address language and NHS efficiency. Nigel Farage vowed an end to the 'arbitrary' existing target of one million Welsh speakers by 2050.