The Scottish election campaign - what the parties and their leaders want

Use an Apple phone or tablet? Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in LanarkshireThe performance features a variety of beautiful music including Delibes’ ‘Flower Duet’ – much-loved soundtrack to British Airways’ TV adverts – and Puccini’s ‘O mio babbino caro’ - familiar from TV and films including the Merchant Ivory classic 'A Room with a View,' this brand new film sees Scottish Opera team up with South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture (SLLC) to afford a fantastic opportunity to hear

SNP, which he used to lead, he quoted late poet Edwin Morgan who said the parliament should not be a place for “fearties”.

TV debates already taken place. Party leaders from all sides of the political divide have been up and down the country looking to secure your vote ahead of polling day.

Scottish Government actively encouraged the public to register for postal ballots due to lockdown restrictions which will likely limit the number of people who can enter polling stations at once come May 6.It means that a large chunk of the final result will already have been cast by the time polling stations open for business at 7am.Postal ballots will be issued from April 14 and must be completed and returned to the address provided by 10pm on May 6 to count.Malcolm Burr, convener of the

Sarwar land Labour ahead of the Tories and what is holding him back? Nicola Sturgeon’s handling of the covid pandemic, despite the high death rate and despite the care homes scandal, has served her well. Voters look like they want to reward the First Minister for leading the nation during a very difficult year and every time she gives a covid update they are reminded of that.He’s only been boss for six weeks or so and Sarwar has gained ground.

Boris Johnson rebuffs her demand, the next Holyrood term could be marked by a constitutional standoff.

underway with party leaders and candidates pounding the streets to attempt to secure your vote. One of the highlights of the elections in recent years has been the introduction of TV debates.The five main political party leaders faced off against one another on March 30 in what was the first debate of the Holyrood election.

Join thousands of others and get the latest Scottish politics news sent straight to your inbox.The Scottish Parliament will sit later today after being recalled for only the sixth time in its history to show respect to Prince Philip.Holyrood's presiding officer, Ken Macintosh, announced that MSPs would be able to return to the Holyrood chamber to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh with a motion of condolence from 11am on Monday.All of the parties at Holyrood have also temporarily suspended

new Alba Party combined next month, with 45% opposed, once those who did not express an opinion were excluded from the result.Nicola Sturgeon has repeatedly said there would be grounds for a new vote on Scotland's future if her party wins a majority of MSPs on its own, and has ruled out working with Salmond.The pro-independence Greens are also hostile to the Alba Party but have talked up the prospect of forming a coalition with the Nationalists if they fall short of a majority.But just 50% of

Anas Sarwar this week unveiled a recovery plan to boost the post-lockdown economy.

parliament is in danger of becoming a “circus” if the agenda is dominated by egos and old arguments about independence. The Scottish Labour leader said he was feeling positive about his campaign despite polling showing Labour languishing in third place behind the Tories with a month to go to voting day.

Ruth Davidson got top billing in the video, while Douglas Ross appeared after the half-way point.

election. Neil Gray, who stepped down as an MP to run for the Holyrood chamber, took to Twitter to say he had been bitten when he was out leafleting.

Prime Minister and the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, will join the campaign trail in a bid to boost the Tories flatline polling.

Get the stories that matter to you sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter.The full list of candidates standing for election to the Scottish Parliament on May 6 in the Stirling area has now been announced.Four candidates will vie to replace MSP for the Stirling constituency Bruce Crawford, who is retiring after 18 years at Holyrood.They are: Chris Kane (Scottish Labour Party); Dean Lockhart (Conservative and Unionist); Fayzan Rehman (Scottish Liberal Democrats); and Evelyn Tweed

Mark Meechan was fined £800 for recording his pug Buddha raising its paw in response to statements such as “gas the Jews” and “sieg heil”. He was found guilty in 2018 of posting materia l that was “grossly offensive” and “anti-Semitic and racist in nature” in an offence aggravated by religious prejudice.

Scottish Parliament party launched itself on social media last year and aims to do what it says on the tin - ditch Holyrood and return Scotland to direct rule from London.

MP and will take place alongside a series of local elections in England and votes for the Scottish and Welsh parliaments. Prescott is standing for the Reform UK party which used to be Nigel Farage's Brexit Party.

campaign. SNP leader and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon took on her rivals in the BBC Scotland clash which took place just days into the campaign.

the First Minister due to her demands for a second independence referendum while at the same time calling on Labour to help the Conservatives protect the union. The leaders clashed during a lively BBC debate that was dominated by the constitution and how the country can recover from months of gruelling lockdown.On the issue of independence, Ross told Sarwar: "I wonder why Scottish Labour can't understand the threat we are facing.