Image source, PA Media

Russell Findlay has urged postal voters to cast their peach ballot for the Scottish Conservatives to stop the “nightmare scenario” of an SNP majority.

He says his party is the "secret weapon" to prevent a fresh bid to break-up the UK.

Findlay's adds the focus of politicians should be the cost of living crisis and fixing "broken public services".

He says: "The Scottish Conservatives are the only party that can be trusted to stand up for the Union and against the SNP’s independence obsession.”

Back to the campaign trail and as we mention the leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Alex Cole-Hamilton is in Glasgow today focussing on what he believes should be Scotland’s infrastructure priorities in the next parliament.

Cole-Hamilton says: “We can’t get Scotland’s economy moving, if we can’t get Scotland moving.”

He says his party will prioritise dualling the A9, bringing tunnels to Shetland and “fixing the ferry fiasco”.

The Scottish Parliament election will take place on Thursday 7 May.

Polling stations will open at 07:00 and close at 22:00.

A total of 129 MSPs will be elected to the parliament, often referred to as Holyrood after the area of Edinburgh where the parliament building stands.

Image source, PA

Now if you've just joined us, today's campaigning has been overshadowed by the row over whether Anas Sarwar had told Malcolm Offord they should work together against the SNP.

Here are the key lines that have emerged:

• Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has branded Reform UK's Scottish leader "a liar" and "a pathetic, poisonous, odious little man"after the pair clashed on a Channel 4 debate last night, external
• Malcolm Offord says Reform UK would not do a deal with Sarwar, but insisted the Labour leader made overtures to him at a debate last year
• Scottish Liberal Democrats leader Alex Cole Hamilton describes talk of a deal between Labour and Reform as dirty tricks
• SNP leader John Swinney says it was up to Reform and Labour to explain themselves and reiterates he would have absolutely nothing to do with Reform UK.
• Ross Greer, co-leader the Scottish Greens, says a Labour-Reform coalition would be “a disaster for Scotland”
• Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay says a potential election deal between Scottish Labour and Reform was “a complete and utter distraction"

Image source, Getty Images

Scottish Green Party co-leader Ross Greer says he is undecided on who to vote for in his own constituency in next month's election.

With Green candidates only standing in six of the 73 constituencies, he does not have the option of backing his party for the seat where he lives.

He ruled out Scottish Labour, blaming their actions in response to the Israel Gaza war, and highlighted that everyone can vote Green on the regional ballot paper.

Greer was questioned on BBC's Radio Scotland Breakfast following the party's manifesto launch.

"I've genuinely not decided yet with my constituency vote," he tells the programme.

"To be honest, the more I look around the parties, I can't vote for a Labour Party that helped commit a genocide in Palestine for example."

Read more here.

Graham Fraser
BBC Scotland

The organisation which oversees elections in the UK has launched a project to detect and act on deepfakes in the run up to the votes in Scotland, Wales and England.

The Electoral Commission says it will monitor deepfake audio and video which is intended to mislead voters about the electoral process or “falsely depict candidates”.

The move follows deepfake attempts to disrupt the Irish presidential election last year, when candidate Catherine Connolly was the subject of a deepfake video.

An AI version of Connolly appeared to announce her withdrawal from the election, when in fact she was still standing.

Vijay Rangarajan, chief executive of the Electoral Commission, said: “A deepfake is yet to meaningfully affect a UK election, and we are determined to keep it that way.

“This pilot means we can identify deepfakes quickly, track their impact, work with parties and candidates to take down or correct misleading material.”

Kirsten Campbell
BBC Scotland political correspondent

In every session of the Scottish Parliament so far the leader of the largest party has become first minister and formed a government.

But in a parliament of minorities that needn't necessarily be the case.

MSPs have to vote for the first minister, and the victorious candidate needs to secure more votes than all the other candidates combined to be elected.

If there are just two candidates then a simple majority is enough.

So it's possible that you could come second in terms of seat numbers, but have more support from other parties than the leader who came first.

If that is what Labour is thinking then it's entirely plausible that Anas Sarwar would encourage Malcolm Offord to back him for FM rather than allow John Swinney's SNP a record 5th term in power.

Depending on the numbers an abstention might be enough.

It doesn't need to mean a formal deal like a coalition or a partnership government is in the offing.

As always it will depend on what the electorate decides.

And it's worth bearing in mind that while it's risky governing as a minority because you need to strike deals with other parties to get legislation through and critically to ensure budget votes and motions of no confidence are won, the opposition parties also need to agree to disagree with the government in order to stop it getting its own way.

When there are a multitude of different parties with different views getting agreement on anything can be a challenge.

Phil Sim
Scotland political correspondent

Malcolm Offord says Reform UK would not do a deal with Anas Sarwar, but insists the Labour leader made overtures to him at a debate last year.

He says it happened in the green room following a recording of Question Time in November.

Sarwar says this is a lie.

But Offord tells BBC Scotland that it had happened - and that he would not work with Labour in any case.

He also declines to make a choice between Sarwar and John Swinney as first minister, and says the election is now a two-horse race between the SNP and Reform.

According to a poll carried out for BBC Scotland, three topics dominate voters' concerns: the economy, (including the cost of living), health and social care, and immigration.

You can read more about what issues voters said mattered to them here.

Reform UK had originally planned to do a press call this morning at the Kelpies - the gigantic horse sculptures outside Falkirk.

However this turned out to be news to the people running the site on behalf of the local authority, which has to remain strictly politically neutral.

So Malcolm Offord ended up speaking to the media at a nearby farm, owned by a Reform candidate.

The party had already planned a secondary event here - but in the end the pictures of the day have ended up featuring cows rather than steel statues of shape-shifting water spirits.

The Scottish Conservative leader has called claims of a potential election deal between Scottish Labour and Reform “a complete and utter distraction”.

Speaking in Stirling, Russell Findlay accuses Anas Sarwar and Malcolm Offord of “squabbling like a pair of schoolchildren”.

Asked if he believed the claim made by Offord, his former Conservative Party colleague, Findlay says: “I don’t care. It just seems to be tittle tattle, a conversation that may or may not have happened.“

Findlay also insists he hasn’t spoken to any other party leaders about entering into an agreement with the Scottish Conservatives.

Chris MacLennan
BBC Scotland

Ross Greer, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, says a Labour-Reform coalition would be “a disaster for Scotland”.

Greer has been in Inverness today, joining local activists on the campaign trail.

He says claims of talks between Labour and Reform comes as “no surprise” and adds that he feels the vast majority of people will not want to see the parties join forces.

Greer says the Greens represent “politics of hope, not the hate and division Reform represents.”

The Scottish Greens co-leader says it is “impossible” for his party to support a Labour led government.

He adds: “There are no circumstances under which the Greens can back Anas Sarwar to be first minister."

We hope to bring you some fresh comments soon from Reform UK's leader in Scotland Malcolm Offord.

BBC Scotland News understands the party had to cancel their planned campaign event at the Kelpies as they did not have permission to hold it.

It is understood they are moving the photocall to the local candidate's farm.

Andrew Kerr
BBC Scotland political correspondent

The first minister has attempted to rise above the row over claims from Reform’s leader that Labour offered to work with him to oust the SNP from government.

The comments were made in last night’s Channel 4 Leaders Debate.

John Swinney says it was up to Reform and Labour to explain themselves but the public needed to hear from him that he would have absolutely nothing to do with Reform UK.

He adds the way to lock Reform out of influence is to elect a majority SNP government.

Asked if he believes Offord or Sarwar, he repeats it was up to the individual men to explain themselves.

Pressed if he prefers to believe Offord, given his reaction last night on TV, he maintains it is up to those parties to explain themselves.

Swinney adds there has been plenty of media briefings and reports about the votes of Reform MSPs being used to support the election of a Labour first minister.

Asked if he felt in jeopardy due to the pro-union parties, the first minister says he is campaigning to win the election on 7 May.

Cameron Angus-Mackay
In Shetland

Meanwhile, energy and independence took centre stage at last night’s election hustings in Shetland.

The BBC event in Lerwick saw candidates debate labour shortages, calls for inter-island tunnels and other issues in front of a live audience.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats have held the seat since 1999.

But with cost of living challenges, heated discussion over immigration and opinion split over plans for new energy infrastructure, the battle for Scotland's most northerly constituency could be a tight race.

Andrew Kerr
BBC Scotland political correspondent

The SNP leader John Swinney has arrived at the Carrick Community Centre in Maybole.

Staff and volunteers are meeting him now.

The centre hosts the Church of Scotland parish church and there’s also a cafe, playgroup and cinema, amongst other things.

Rather delicious looking strawberry tarts and scones have been temptingly placed before the first mnister.

David Wallace Lockhart
Political correspondent

Image source, PA

Anas Sarwar has called Malcolm Offord “a liar” after the Reform UK leader in Scotland claimed that the Scottish Labour leader had said they should work together to beat the SNP.

Speaking to BBC Scotland News, Sarwar said Offord’s version of events were “nonsense” and labelled him “a pathetic, poisonous, odious little man”.

He also took aim at the SNP leader John Swinney, saying he “chose to back Malcolm Offord” which was “beneath him”.

Sarwar said that he would not make any deals or pacts with Reform and that he wanted to see them get “hammered” in the election next month.

Image source, Getty Images

Angus Robertson has reacted to Malcolm Offord's claim that Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar leader told him he wanted to work together against the SNP.

The SNP's campaign director says: "Now we have it exposed on live TV.

"Anas Sarwar is in cahoots with Nigel Farage and would happily work with Reform if it gave him a whiff of power.

"That should show people in Scotland just how desperate Sarwar and Labour are."

Robertson says his party will have nothing to do with Reform UK.

Image source, PA Media

The leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats has described talk of a deal between Labour and Reform as dirty tricks.

Campaigning in Glasgow, Alex Cole-Hamilton said he was not aware of any conversations between Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and Reform UK's leader in Scotland, Malcolm Offord.

He also ruled out any deal with Reform describing them as "part of the problem".

Meanwhile, Cole-Hamilton told reporters Scotland's infrastructure needs to be upgraded and highlighted the importance of dualling of the A9 and A96.

SNP leader John Swinney will hit the campaign trail in South Ayrshire. The cost of living is expected to be high on his agenda on the eve of the party's manifesto launch.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar will be joining maternity campaigners in North Lanarkshire, as he backs calls to retain specialist neonatal units across Scotland.

Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer will be campaigning with activists in Inverness, and laying out plans for "a fairer, greener Scotland".

The Scottish Conservatives are focusing on support for rural businesses, with leader Russell Findlay set to meet voters in Stirling.

Reform UK Scotland leader Malcolm Offord will be visiting the Kelpies, near Falkirk.

The Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton will be in Glasgow, where he will outline plans for growing the economy and creating well paid jobs.