Summary

  • The Scottish Liberal Democrats have launched their manifesto for the Scottish Parliament election

  • Leader Alex Cole-Hamilton, who baked a peach tart during the event at the Edinburgh Food and Drink Academy, says fairness is "at the heart" of the party's "vision for change"

  • The Lib Dem pledges include a £400m investment in care, progress on major transport projects and hiring 2,000 more pupil support assistants

  • The leaders of Scotland's six larger political parties will be on the campaign trail across the country

  • Voters will go to the polls on 7 May to elect 129 members of the Scottish Parliament

Live Reporting

Edited by Paul McLaren, with reporting by Claire Thomson and Craig Hutchison

  1. Scottish Lib Dems manifesto launch and parties on the campaign trail: The headlines

    That ends today's live coverage of the election campaign and the launch of the Scottish Lib Dems manifesto 'Change with fairness at its heart'. Here are the headlines:

    Elsewhere on the campaign trail:

    • SNP leader John Swinney defended his proposal of capping the price of essential food
    • Anas Sarwar was outside Bute House in Edinburgh to encourage people to use their postal vote
    • Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer said his party was "open to co-operating" with the SNP again in government, as he campaigned in Orkney and Shetland
    • Malcolm Offord, the Reform UK leader in Scotland, was in Kirkcaldy and said cutting income tax would be the first bill he would push through the Scottish Parliament
    • Russell Findlay visited a convenience store in Edinburgh and said John Swinney's "idiotic" plans to cap the price of food essentials would be a hammer blow for small retailers

    Thank you for joining us. Today's editor was Paul McLaren, and the writers were Claire Thomson and Craig Hutchison.

  2. Analysis

    Why the Lib Dems want 'peach' votes

    Glenn Campbell
    BBC Scotland Political Editor

    alex cole hamilton making peach tartsPA Media

    The Liberal Democrats are concentrating their electoral efforts in ten target constituencies and then encouraging people across Scotland to back them on the regional list vote.

    Because that ballot paper is peach in colour, the party invited journalists to watch their leader Alex Cole-Hamilton make peach and frangipane tarts at an Edinburgh cookery school this morning.

    Rolling out the ingredients for this recipe and their manifesto mixture at the same time is a very Lib Dem way of doing things in an election. They take a picture-first approach to news events.

    So, what of their election offer? An extra £400m for social care to ease pressure on the NHS, 900 clinical staff to work alongside GPs in their surgeries and 2000 extra pupil support workers in schools.

    They do not expect to sweep to power at this election to deliver this programme but if they have a say in the next Scottish government or some leverage over it, these are among the priorities they would push.

    Cole-Hamilton is clear that he wants to change the government at Holyrood which may mean being prepared to work with Labour and others to oust the SNP — but that depends how the parliamentary arithmetic adds up.

  3. A manifesto that avoids over-promising and under-delivering

    Kirsten Campbell
    BBC Scotland political correspondent

    David Phillips, the head of devolved and local government finance at the Institute of Fiscal Studies, concludes that the Lib Dem manifesto doesn't help address the budgetary challenges that will be faced by the next government - but doesn't add massively to them either.

    Fiscally, he reckons there's a bit of a hole to fill, but it's smaller than most other parties.

    He welcomes the proposals on council tax and business rates, but says there would be practical challenges to overcome.

    On one of the Lib Dems' key policies of tackling delayed discharge by improving pay and conditions for care workers, he says it's a big ask from a small pot of money, and that tackling bed-blocking is as much about systems change.

    He thinks the manifesto avoids over-promising and under-delivering, but notes there are no targets for hospitals or GPs, which are needed for performance management.

  4. Analysis

    Disability changes in the workplace would require further devolution

    Ian Hamilton
    BBC Scotland senior social affairs reporter

    Regarding people with disabilities, the Scottish Lib Dems say they want to “make it easier” for them to find a job.

    One key point they’ve highlighted is supporting the right to work from home, a policy the UK party is promoting.

    On one hand, that might offer genuine flexibility and opportunity for disabled people.

    On the other, could it discourage employers from making potentially expensive adaptations in the workplace?

    If the Lib Dems gained power in Holyrood, it would be difficult to implement changes when so much of disability legislation lies with Westminster.

    It would require the transfer of powers like Access to Work to Holyrood, which may take quite some time, given the complicated nature of devolving responsibilities.

    But one key point, this is all about choice.

    Being in the workplace is about more than employment. It’s about social interaction, one thing disability charities have long campaigned for in modern workplaces.

  5. Analysis

    Manifesto looks like a menu of bargaining chips for negotiations

    Phil Sim
    Scotland political correspondent

    The Lib Dem manifesto is a chunky, 98-page document with loads of different ideas in it.

    It promises the party will "get stuff done", adding: "Budget by budget, bill by bill, case by case, we use our leverage as MSPs to deliver change with fairness at its heart."

    It strikes me not so much as a prospectus for government, but a menu of bargaining chips that can be deployed in negotiations down the road.

    The Lib Dems know that Alex Cole-Hamilton is unlikely to be moving into Bute House.

    But given everyone is already talking about post-election arithmetic and the deal-making which might decide who runs the country, he could end up acting as kingmaker.

    The party also has a history of doing budget deals, even with the SNP, carving out wins for particular local issues which they can then show off to voters at the next election.

    There was a similar theme to the Green manifesto - these are papers packed full of ideas which won't necessarily all have to be delivered as a coherent whole, but of individually achievable policy proposals to take into future talks.

  6. Offord: 'I'm not going to jump on the bandwagon for Starmer to resign'

    David Wallace Lockhart
    Political correspondent

    We've had plenty of reaction from Scotland's political parties on the Peter Mandelson saga, which you can read more about here. Here is what Reform UK's Scotland leader had to say.

    Malcolm Offord, says he won't "jump on the bandwagon" of calling on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to resign.

    His comments came after Reform's overall leader, Nigel Farage, called on Starmer to step down.

    Offord says he believes it is "impossible" that the prime minister didn't know that Mandelson had failed vetting, and says he is now displaying "fake outrage".

    He adds it is "for other people to decide" if the prime minister should leave his post.

  7. BBC Verify

    Have police numbers been cut in Scotland?

    BBC Scotland: Phil Sim

    Scottish Labour has been campaigning on police numbers.

    In a video posted online, Anas Sarwar stated that the SNP is “gambling with Scotland’s safety by cutting police numbers”, and that a Labour government would “put police back on our streets”.

    After the SNP first took office in 2007, officer numbers climbed from 16,234 full-time equivalent roles to a peak of 17,496 in 2013.

    They then plateaued for a long period following the formation of Police Scotland, before beginning to fall from 2021 onwards, and the most recent figure was 16,416.

    Labour’s proposal is to introduce a community police officer for each of Scotland’s 355 council wards.

    However it does not actually entail hiring additional officers.

    Instead the plan is to “free up” 360 existing officers “to join divisions on the frontline of policing”.

    Police Scotland’s chief constable pushed for extra funding in this year’s Scottish budget to hire an extra 850 officers and 348 civilian staff - but said the eventual £1.7bn settlement fell short of what the force needed to “stand still”.

  8. Analysis

    The cost of care

    Daniel Bennett
    BBC Scotland social affairs producer

    The Scottish Lib Dems are painting themselves as the "party of care" in this election.

    In their manifesto, they want to give an extra £400 a year to unpaid carers who receive the Carer Support Payment.

    That can range from looking after a spouse, neighbour or parent due to illness, disability, or addiction.

    But it's worth looking at the numbers and considering what is happening to Scotland's population.

    For people giving unpaid care, £400 might go some way to helping their costs.

    In recent years, Carers UK estimated about two in every three people in Scotland would end up providing some kind of unpaid care during their life.

    When you consider that there are more and more people over the age of 65 in Scotland, it's reasonable to think more of these people will need some kind of care, since age doesn't come alone.

    As a rough figure, the Scottish government estimated in 2024 that there are 700,000 unpaid carers in Scotland.

    The Lib Dems estimate that just under 100,000 of them receive the Carer Support Payment, and that the policy would cost £40m.

  9. John Swinney: We could see a cap on food prices in the next year

    John Swinney was taking listeners calls on Radio Scotland's Mornings with Stephen Jardine

  10. Analysis

    The Lib Dems don't expect to lead the next Scottish government

    Kirsten Campbell
    BBC Scotland political correspondent

    Even Alex Cole-Hamilton, optimist though he is, doesn't expect to be first minister after this election.

    The Lib Dems won just four seats in 2021 and are hoping to more than double that number this time round.

    The party does believe, however, that it can still deliver on the policies it's proposing.

    It points out that by working cross-party, it secured additional funding for colleges and extra support for businesses in the last budget - and argues that the more MSPs it returns to Holyrood, the more influence it will have.

  11. RCGP welcomes increase investment to general practice

    More reaction to the Scottish Lib Dems' manifesto, this time from the Royal College of General Practioners focusing on the increase support to GPs.

    Dr Chris Provan says: "We welcome many aspects of the Scottish Liberal Democrats’ manifesto and are particularly encouraged by the commitment to increase the proportion of the NHS budget allocated to general practice.

    "Increasing the share of funding going to general practice would help grow the GP workforce, expand appointment availability and deliver more care in the community."

    But he says evidence suggests that expanding multidisciplinary teams in general practice has not reduced GP workload to the extent anticipated.

    The RCGP would have wanted a specific funding target and clear timeline for this investment, Provan adds.

  13. Greens are open to working with the SNP, says co-leader Greer

    Ross Greer

    Ross Greer has been on the campaign trail in Orkney

    Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer says his party is "open to co-operating" with the SNP again in government.

    Greer, who has been campaigning in Orkney, says the Greens would take seriously the opportunity to deliver more of their policies, but stresses there's more divergence on energy and climate change now.

    Greer's party formed a coalition with the SNP in 2021, under the Bute House Agreement, but the power-sharing deal collapsed in 2024.

    He says the public expects parties to work together where possible.

  14. Scottish Tory leader says Keir Starmer's position is untenable

    Helen Anderson
    BBC Scotland News in Edinburgh

    russell findlayPA Media

    Moving on to other matters, Findlay describes the prime minister's position as "no longer tenable" following revelations around the vetting of Lord Mandelson.

    The Scottish Conservative leader accuses Sir Keir Starmer of misleading the public, and says he is "throwing colleagues under the bus to protect himself" which he describes as "unedifying and disgraceful".

  15. Findlay slams SNP's 'idiotic' food price cap

    russell findlaPA Media

    Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay says John Swinney's "idiotic" plans to cap the price of food essentials would be a hammer blow for small retailers.

    Findlay has been speaking during a visit to an award-winning, family-owned convenience store in Edinburgh.

    The SNP's manifesto pledges to cap the costs of between 20 and 50 everyday items sold in large supermarkets.

    Findlay says Swinney's plan is a "desperate attempt" to distract from the SNP's "lies, sleaze, waste and incompetence" by picking a fight with the UK government.

    He says: "John Swinney's 1970s-era wheeze is a desperate attempt to distract from the SNP's litany of lies, sleaze, waste and incompetence."

  16. SNP food price plan 'like something from 1970s Albania' says Offord

    Richard Forbes
    BBC Scotland News in Kirkcaldy

    malolm offordPA Media

    Malcolm Offord says the SNP's food price cap plan "is like something from Albania in the 1970s".

    Reform UK's leader in Scotland brands it "absolutely bonkers" and predicts it would lead to queues outside shops.

    He adds that the reason people can't afford food is because they are over-taxed.

    Offord, who is campaigning in Kirkcaldy, says cutting income tax would be the first bill he would push through the Scottish Parliament.

  17. Reform UK's Scottish leader Offord hits the shops

    Richard Forbes
    BBC Scotland News in Kirkcaldy

    Reform UK campaigners in Kirkcaldy

    This afternoon's electioneering has kicked off in Kirkcaldy, where Reform is setting out its stall to voters.

    The party's leader in Scotland, Malcolm Offord, chatted with shoppers on the High Street.

  18. Analysis

    Spreading out arts funding is a worthy ambition - but would it work?

    Pauline McLean
    BBC Scotland Arts Correspondent

    Like the other parties, the Lib Dems are targeting the arts agency Creative Scotland and want to see a shake-up of funding, based on the findings of the most recent review.

    They’re also keen to see a wider spread of funding, beyond the big cities - a worthy ambition but one which fails to recognise that most existing cultural organisations are based in cities, and often struggle to find the resources to take their work as far afield as they might wish. One city project they do champion is the creation of Dundee’s Eden Project.

    They’re keen to focus on the games industry – establishing a Games Innovation Centre and a network of regional hubs aimed at encouraging and developing the sector with advice, networking and low-cost office space.

    And public broadcasters get their support, including a proposal for a permanent BBC Charter ratified by the four nations.

  19. 'Change with fairness at its heart' - The Scottish Lib Dem manifesto headlines

    alex cole-hamiltonPA Media

    Scottish Liberal Democrats leader Alex Cole-Hamilton launched his party's manifesto at the Edinburgh Food and Drink Academy

    If you're just joining us, here are the key lines that emerged from the launch of the Scottish Lib Dems manifesto 'Change with fairness at its heart':

  20. 'Unbelievable' that Starmer didn't know Mandelson details, says Lib Dems' Chamberlain

    David Wallace Lockhart
    Political correspondent

    The deputy leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats says Keir Starmer must resign if he has misled the House of Commons.

    Wendy Chamberlain tells BBC Scotland News it is "not absolutely clear yet" if the prime minister has misled the house, but adds that "things have not been as transparent as they could and should have been".

    She says it was "all quite unbelievable" that the prime minister had been unaware that Lord Mandelson had failed vetting.