Must try harder: do the Holyrood 2026 manifestos meet our tests? (opens in new tab)

Now that all the main parties have published their Holyrood 2026 election manifestos, we can assess how they perform against the five key tests we set out in a recent blog. The results are, to put it mildly, disappointing. Figure 1 shows how the parties’ manifestos have changed since 2021 across three topics. Overall, we see a down-rating of climate as an issue, an increased emphasis on economic growth, and a mixed picture on poverty.