Scottish Conservatives Scottish Parliament Election 2026 Manifesto - NUS Scotland

The Scottish Conservatives published their Scottish Parliament Election Manifesto, 'Get Scotland Working' on Tuesday 7th April.

This is what it says about the issues that students, apprentices and young people care about. Use the NUS Scotland Vote Matcher to see which parties you agree with most.

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What the Scottish Conservatives Manifesto says on...

Universities and funding

- Retain free tuition for Scottish students but examine alternative systems
- Tackle the default assumption that university is the best option for young people
- Introduce a Skills Bill to link universities, colleges and businesses to address skills shortages

Colleges, Apprenticeships and Skills

- Increase college funding so that it matches 2021-22 levels, adjusted for inflation
- Allow colleges to borrow more to invest in facilities and courses offered to students
- Set up a new fund to increase support for apprenticeships

International students and migration

- Reverse the policy of giving free bus passes to asylum seekers
- Prioritise local people over asylum seekers when assessing homelessness and social housing applications
- End taxpayer funding for translation services used by Social Security Scotland for people receiving benefits

Cost of Living, Employment and the Economy

- Lower income tax to 19p in the pound for low- and middle-income households
- Raise the threshold at which you start paying income tax, and raise the threshold at which the higher rate is paid
- Reduce business rates for companies

The NHS, Health and Wellbeing

- Increase NHS funding above inflation every year of the next Scottish Parliament
- Guarantee a GP appointment within 48 hours.
- Walk-in mental health hubs to help those with mental health conditions get the support they need

Housing and Renting

- Scrap rent controls
- Abolish tax on buying a home for people purchasing a primary residence
- Scrap regulations and levies to make it easier and cheaper to build new homes

Transport and Travel

- Better integrate public transport and improve bus connectivity between small towns, rural areas and major cities
- Abolish and oppose any targets that aim to reduce the use of cars in Scotland
- Oppose attempts to increase taxes on air travel and lower air travel tax for long-haul flights

Climate, the Environment and Energy

- Abolish target to reach net zero by 2045
- Overhaul energy policy so the main objective is to lower costs for households and businesses, rather than reaching net zero
- Scrap the carbon tax, carbon price support schemes and renewable energy subsidies

Rights, Equality and Liberation

- Ban ‘woke’ roles within the public sector, such as dedicated diversity and inclusion officers
- Scrap the Scottish Government’s guidance that encourages the teaching of ‘gender ideology’ in schools
- Require all public sector bodies to have ‘single-sex’ spaces

Society, Democracy and Young People

- Improve government transparency and give whistleblowers a place to expose state failings
- Introduce a Recall Bill to allow the public to sack MSPs who have broken the rules or are failing to do their job
- Ban prisoners from voting in Scottish Parliament elections

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