Free bus travel to first-homes fund: what Scottish parties are promising on the campaign trail

Advent of Reform has radically altered the dynamics of the campaign and parties are responding accordingly Polls predict a gravity-defying fifth term at Holyrood for the Scottish National party – albeit on a much reduced vote share – but the advent of Reform UK has radically altered the dynamics of the election campaign. The manifesto pledges set out below reveal how established parties are responding, however, a lack of engagement with an estimated £5bn hole in Scottish government finances by the end of the decade has prompted economists at the independent Fraser of Allander Institute (FAI) to accuse all parties of “a collective bout of fiscal denial”. The SNP’s most eye-catching pledge – to cap supermarket prices for essential goods such as bread and milk – was instantly dismissed as a “potty gimmick” by retailers, and many constitutional academics doubt whether the Scottish parliament has the powers to implement it. The manifesto also included a £100m first-homes fund to give up to £10,000 towards a deposit for first-time buyers, plans to cap all bus fares at £2, and the expansion of subsidised childcare based on family income. Economists at the FAI were quick to highlight “seve