Our live coverage of the Scottish election campaign trail is drawing to a close for the day. The launch of the Scottish Greens manifesto, external kicked things off and here are the key lines that emerged:

• the manifesto is titled "Let's Demand Better" and is firmly focused on tackling the cost of living crisis
• it would introduce 'the biggest expansion of childcare in a generation" with commitments to roll out 1,140 hours of funded childcare to all two-year-olds, and 570 hours of funded childcare to every child from six months to two-years-old
• the Greens would also raise the school starting age to seven

• free bus travel for all in Scotland
• no new oil and gas fields in the North Sea
• a four-day working week and better terms and conditions for workers

Elsewhere on the campaign trail:

• SNP leader John Swinney unveiled plans for a new "welcome to school bag"
• Scotland needs a better approach to record levels of drug deaths, was the message from Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar
• For the Lib Dems, Alex Cole-Hamilton pledged to tackle Scotland’s housing crisis by increasing housebuilding to 25,000 new homes a year
• Nigel Farage was campaigning in Shetland for Reform UK and said expanding the UK's exclusive fishing zone would "revolutionise" the islands
• Scottish Tory energy spokesman Douglas Lumsden spoke of the need for more North Sea drilling

The editor today was Paul McLaren, with reporting by Craig Hutchison.

Thanks for joining us. We'll be back with more live coverage of the Scottish election campaign tomorrow morning.

Image source, getty

Ahead of the manifesto launch, the Scottish Greens set out plans to introduce a £1 levy on stadium gig tickets if they are voted into power at Holyrood.

It would apply to arts and music events with capacities over 2,500, and the funds would be collected and administered by local councils.

They say the money raised would be reinvested into areas of the culture sector that need it most, citing grassroots venues, libraries and community spaces.

The party's culture spokesperson Patrick Harvie says it would be the "first step" in supporting the sector.

“Our cultural sector should be at the heart of a fairer and more economically diverse Scotland," he says.

"It has the power to transform our communities, support good jobs and help us build a more equal and sustainable country, while showcasing our talent on an international stage."

How many new cases of HIV are there in Scotland?published at 16:41 BST

16:41 BST

BBC Scotland: Phil Sim

Reform UK's Scottish leader Malcolm Offord told a party event in Aberdeen that he had spoken to a group of GPs from a “regular Scottish town in the central belt” where services had been stretched after ”a lot of immigrants came in”.

He said this included people “presenting with a whole series of conditions, some of which we haven’t had in our own country recently” - going on to add that there were “at least three cases of HIV” among them.

The most recent data suggests there were 125 new diagnoses of HIV in Scotland in 2024.

Of these, 91 were cases where patients were suspected to have been exposed to the virus outwith the UK.

However there is no data on whether these people were migrants, or Scots who had been exposed while travelling abroad.

There were a further 250 cases where people had previously been diagnosed elsewhere, but had newly registered for care in Scotland - but there is no breakdown about whether they came from elsewhere in the UK or abroad.

Offord declined to say where the doctors were based when questioned by journalists, but said it was not fair for Scotland to be “the health service of the world”.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar was on BBC Radio Scotland's Mornings programme, a day after launching his party's election manifesto.

Among the issues he was asked about was whether he would support a second Scottish independence referendum.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies has given its reaction to the Scottish Greens Manifesto, external saying it is "a big manifesto proposing huge changes to policy".

David Phillips, from the IFS, says the Greens propose large increases in spending on families with children and substantial investment in public services and public transport.

A combination of a large increase in property taxes and borrowing by councils would partly cover the cost of these ambitions.

He says their tax plans would cement Scotland’s position as the highest-taxed part of the UK.

"Whether the expansion of the welfare state would make that worthwhile will be in the eye of the beholder."

Read more from the IFS here., external

Glenn Campbell
BBC Scotland Political Editor

The Greens support an independent Scotland and like the SNP they believe that if a majority of MSPs are in favour, the UK government should agree to another referendum.

That formulation has not proved sufficient to secure Westminster support in recent years which is why the SNP have now tasked themselves with winning an outright majority of Holyrood seats.

The Greens have an alternative strategy.

They want to use the Scottish Parliament’s powers to their limit and to push the boundaries of devolution in areas like the creation of new taxes.

In some circumstances they believe this could result in a clash with Westminster which could use reserved powers to block their proposals.

For the Greens this would demonstrate the limitations of devolution and they would fold this into their campaign for the further transfer of powers from Westminster to Holyrood and ultimately for independence.

Jenni Davidson
BBC Scotland senior politics reporter

Image source, PA Media

The Scottish Liberal Democrats want the school start age to be increased to support children’s learning.

The party leader Alex Cole-Hamilton says the evidence from other countries is that children learn better when they have play in the early years and move on to formal education later on.

Children in Scotland typically start school at the age of four or five.

Cole-Hamilton adds that his party wants to make publicly-funded childcare work for families – particularly those outside the labour market.

Cole-Hamilton says women often face a difficult choice about returning to work because of the cost of childcare.

The Liberal Democrats would address that, he insists, with targeted support for families to help women in particular to return to work.

Anas Sarwar says a Scottish Labour government would increase investment in skills development to boost the defence industry.

He says that work done in particular with the Norwegian government has seen "£10bn of investment coming on the Clyde, guaranteeing shipbuilding jobs for a generation".

"We've also got investment coming in Rosyth," he adds.

"The challenge that we have is that the skills development is not being back up by an SNP Scottish government.

"We will change that, we will have a skills development site in Fife, in Glasgow so that those jobs can go to Scotland's amazing young people, give them the skills and give them that employment."

Trans rights support reiterated in manifestopublished at 15:07 BST

15:07 BST

David Henderson
Scotland news correspondent

The last Scottish Parliament saw a drawn-out and difficult debate on sex, gender and trans rights.

The Scottish Greens manifesto shows this issue has not gone away.

Back in September, their two leaders, Gillian Mackay and Ross Greer, told the BBC's Scotcast that backing trans rights was a red line for their party.

Today, their support remains clear.

The manifesto says there's a "hate campaign against them", and the Greens want this addressed through school education, anti-bullying programmes, and greater protection under the criminal law.

There's also a pledge to ensuring access to "gender-affirming healthcare", which they claim in their manifesto is effectively denied to some by 200-year-long waiting lists.

This treatment is intended to help people whose gender identity differs from the sex they were registered at birth.

It’s been the subject of intense medical and political debate and has become a polarised culture war issue.

The Scottish Greens also say they'll continue to call on the UK government to remove its block on gender recognition legislation.

In 2023, Holyrood voted to reform the way transgender people in Scotland could obtain a Gender Recognition Certificate, the document that legally changes a person's sex on their birth certificate.

The UK Conservative government blocked this change from becoming law, saying it would adversely impact UK equality legislation.

How gender recognition should work remains unresolved in Scotland and was largely parked as an electoral issue until now. The Scottish Greens manifesto shows it’s not been forgotten.

Andrew Kerr
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Image source, PA

Now if you're just joining us the Scottish Greens are the latest political party to have launched their manifesto, with the two co-leaders unveiling their policy pledges at the event in Glasgow.

Gillian Mackay took to the stage first and promised free bus travel for all and a large expansion in free child care. She said that would save parents £10,000 per child every two and half years.

Ross Greer, the other co-leader, emphasised that his party was the only one not to back any new oil and gas exploration in the North Sea.

He also called for a shift to a greener economy, a restoration of Scotland’s ancient Atlantic rain forest and for first class rail travel to be abolished.

You can read the full Scottish Greens' manifesto here., external

Phil Sim
Scotland political correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

A doctors' union and an HIV charity have criticised Reform UK following remarks made by its Scottish leader Malcolm Offord at Monday night’s rally in Aberdeen.

Offord said he had been approached by a group of doctors who were concerned that pressures had been piled on local GP services after “a lot of immigrants” arrived.

Offord said these were international students studying “dubious courses” who had brought family members with them - and that there had been “at least three” cases of HIV among them, leading to costly treatment.

The party’s UK leader Nigel Farage has since added that “young men crossing the channel in dinghies” should not be allowed access to NHS treatment.

The Terrence Higgins Trust, an HIV charity, said it was right to ensure that everyone in the UK with the virus has access to medication, because it meant people would not hide their status on entry to the UK and risk passing the virus on.

And the Royal College of GPs in Scotland noted that Reform’s Scottish manifesto backed a “prevention strategy” in healthcare.

Chairman Dr Crhis Provan said: “Treating people with HIV so that they cannot transmit the virus, and preventing infection, are clear examples of preventive healthcare in action.

“In the long-term, this approach is also more cost-effective than treating advanced HIV infection and the serious health conditions that can result."

Offord then hit back in a social media post where he said “loopholes are being exploited by opportunists from all over the world”, and that “we cannot provide a free health service for the world”.

Kirsten Campbell
BBC Scotland political correspondent

The FM and SNP leader John Swinney has accused the UK government of not taking all the necessary steps to keep the country safe.

He says the waters of the North Atlantic need to be policed effectively to protect them from the active threat posed by Russia.

And he argues that more investment is required in conventional defence rather than the vast sums being spent on nuclear weapons.

Cameron Angus-Mackay
Cameron Angus Mackay in Shetland

Nigel Farage says expanding the UK's exclusive fishing zone would "revolutionise" Shetland.

The leader of Reform UK is in Lerwick today on a campaign visit.

Farage claims the UK could take full advantage of the country's exclusive economic zone up to 200 miles from the coastline, but the area overlaps with Europe's seas.

Last year, the UK government announced EU boats would have access to UK waters until 2038, in return for reduced checks on food exports to the EU.

The Reform UK leader says expanded fishing rights would support jobs, income and living standards.

Jenni Davidson
BBC Scotland senior politics reporter

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton outlined his plans to shake up housebuilding on visit to a cocktail bar in Edinburgh this morning.

Following a lesson in making non-alcoholic mocktails, Cole-Hamilton told BBC Scotland News that his party would tackle Scotland’s housing crisis by increasing housebuilding to 25,000 new homes a year, through a combination of encouraging investment from the private sector and increasing public sector housing.

He said they would also introduce a fund to help people renovate derelict properties and reform planning to make it easier for Scotland to build the homes it needs.

Suzanne Allan
BBC Scotland News

Image source, PA Media

Campaigning in Glasgow, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said Scotland needs a better approach to record levels of drug deaths.

Scottish Labour would invest in greater abstinence schemes and support more rehabilitation beds.

He added the party "also recognise that many people who move away from addiction need extra support to get the skills they need and the employment they need and the housing they need.

"That's a joined up approach so we can drive down drug deaths in this country and make sure every person has the chance to succeed".

Image source, PA Media

John Swinney has been promoting a new "welcome to school bag" to be given to all pupils when they start primary one.

The SNP say the rucksack is designed to build on the success of the baby box and will include essential school items like a pencil case, a water bottle and books.

It will also include a voucher for a PE kit and information about where families who need extra support can find it.

Speaking during a visit to an outdoor nursery in West Lothian, Swinney said he’s determined to do everything to support children at such a big transition point in their lives.

Asked about the chaos of multiple children having the same schoolbag, he said it was the principle that was important.

Ben Philip
in Aberdeen

Reform UK will become the first “effective voice in opposition” since Scottish devolution, according to Nigel Farage.

The party’s leader was addressing a rally on Monday night and told the audience: “We are going to succeed”.

Around 400 members, candidates and supporters attended the event at the city’s P&J Live.

It was a glitzy, high-production affair with music, big screens, smoke machines, a GB flag in LED lights and large letters on the stage with the words: ‘REFORM WILL FIX IT’.

Nigel Farage took to the stage to a standing ovation and pyrotechnics.

He, said the party’s “breakthrough moment” in Scotland will be on 7 May.

He spoke of increasing North Sea oil and gas drilling, taking further control of fishing waters and decreasing “mass unskilled migration”.

The event earlier heard from Reform UK Scotland leader Malcolm Offord. He said his party is setting the agenda in Scotland.

The Scottish Conservatives are campaigning in the north east today.

On a visit to an oil and gas company in Aberdeenshire, the party's energy spokesperson Douglas Lumsden spoke of the need for more North Sea drilling.

He also described the Scottish Greens' proposal to increase the school starting age to seven as “bonkers”.

Lumsden said his party would make funding available to improve education standards and reduce taxes to ensure working families felt supported.

When asked about comments made by Reform UK Scotland leader Malcolm Offord about a group of GPs telling him of people arriving in Scotland with conditions including HIV, Lumsden said he wouldn’t want to go down the route of health screening.

Today has so far been dominated by the Scottish Greens launching their election manifesto - but the other larger parties are out in force too.

We've been following them on the campaign trail as they continue to try and boost supported ahead of polling day on 7 May.

So let's take a look at what they've been up to...

Image source, PA

If you're just joining us, here's a recap of some of the the key pledges in Scottish Greens manifesto, external which was launched earlier today:

• the manifesto "Let's Demand Better" is firmly focused on tackling the cost of living crisis
• it would introduce 'the biggest expansion of childcare in a generation" with commitments to roll out 1,140 hours of funded childcare to all two-year-olds, and 570 hours of funded childcare to every child from six months to two-years-old
• free bus travel for all in Scotland
• no new oil and gas fields in the North Sea
• a four-day working week and better terms and conditions for workers
• proposals to tackle the climate emergency and nature restoration, as well as growing a green economy and better terms and conditions for workers
• a pledge to work for Scottish independence