Scottish Labour Scottish Parliament Election 2026 Manifesto - NUS Scotland

Scottish Labour published its Scottish Parliament Election Manifesto, 'Scotland Needs Change' on Monday 13th 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 Labour Manifesto says on...

Universities and funding

- Maintain free tuition for Scotland’s undergraduates
- Work with partners on a future funding and governance model to make higher education more sustainable
- Support research capacity in Scottish universities

Colleges, Apprenticeships and Skills

- Reform college funding so that it is longer term and linked to employment and apprenticeship outcomes
- Create Apprenticeship Centres of Excellence in colleges, and introduce ‘taster apprenticeships’
- Simplify vocational qualifications to create lifelong learning pathways

International students and migration

- Support passporting of skills for refugees to help skilled and highly qualified individuals find work
- Expand the availability of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses for refugees
- Aid matching scheme so government contributions to international development can donate public donations

Cost of Living, Employment and the Economy

- No income tax rises for five years, with the ambition to lower taxes
- Prevent above-inflation hikes to water bills
- Increase the value of tax-free childcare so it is worth £3,000 per child

The NHS, Health and Wellbeing

- Reduce NHS waiting times by using all available healthcare capacity, including elsewhere in the UK or in the private sector
- Guarantee a GP appointment within 48 hours and deliver online bookings of GP appointments
- Create a new mental health response service so people in crisis get NHS care, not a police response

Housing and Renting

- 125,000 new houses, including 52,300 affordable homes, by 2031
- Build over 20,000 mid-market rent homes, which save tenants an average of £2,700 off market rates
- Save first-time buyers £1,100 by reforming Land and Business Transaction Tax

Transport and Travel

- Maintain free bus travel for under-22s and older people, and bring local bus services back under public control
- No return to peak rail fares, continue rail electrification and improve connectivity between cities
- Deliver integrated smart ticketing across Scotland between rail and bus

Climate, the Environment and Energy

- Achieve net zero by 2045
- Supporting expansion of renewable energy in Scotland by cutting decision times and reforming planning
- Support nuclear energy projects

Rights, Equality and Liberation

- Close the disability pay gap, including by reforming employability support
- Ban conversion practices on a four-nation basis
- Deliver single-sex spaces on the basis of ‘biological sex’ in NHS wards, schools, sport and everyday life

Society, Democracy and Young People

- Pass a Local Democracy Act to give people more of a say over how public services in their areas run
- Consult on giving Scottish regions the right to create regional mayors
- Support efforts to build closer relationships with the EU

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