List of political parties in Scotland facts for kids

This article tells you about the main political parties in Scotland. These are groups of people who share similar ideas about how Scotland should be run.

Understanding Scotland's Main Political Parties

Scotland has several important political parties. Each party has different ideas about how the country should be governed. They aim to win seats in the Scottish Parliament and the Parliament of the United Kingdom (UK Parliament) to make their ideas happen.

The Scottish National Party (SNP) is the biggest political party in Scotland. They mainly want Scotland to become an independent country. They also support giving Scotland more power within the UK. The SNP is generally a centre-left party. This means they support ideas like social democracy (where the government helps people with things like healthcare and education), getting rid of nuclear weapons, and having closer ties with the European Union. The party was started in 1934. In 2011, under the leadership of Alex Salmond, they won most of the seats in the Scottish Parliament. They currently form the Scottish government and are led by Scotland's First Minister, Humza Yousaf. They have 64 Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) and 45 Members of the UK Parliament (MPs).

The Scottish Conservatives are the Scottish part of the UK-wide Conservative Party. They were formed in 1965. This party is generally centre-right. They support traditional ideas and want Scotland to remain part of the United Kingdom. In the 1997 election, they didn't win any seats in Scotland's UK Parliament. However, they won 18 seats in the Scottish Parliament in 1999 because of how votes are counted there. Their best result in the 21st century was in 2017 when they won 13 seats in the UK Parliament. They currently have 31 MSPs and 6 MPs. Their leader in the Scottish Parliament is Douglas Ross.

Scottish Labour is the Scottish part of the UK-wide Labour Party. From 1964 to 2007, they were the most successful party in Scottish elections. Like the wider UK Labour Party, they are a centre-left party. They also want Scotland to stay part of the United Kingdom. In 1997, the UK Labour Party held a vote (a referendum) on giving Scotland its own parliament, which most people supported. From 1999 to 2007, they shared power in the Scottish Parliament with the Liberal Democrats. They currently have one MP and 22 MSPs. Since 2021, they have been led by Anas Sarwar MSP.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats are the Scottish part of the UK-wide Liberal Democrats party. This party is generally in the centre or centre-left. They support social liberal ideas, which means they believe in individual freedoms and social justice. They also want Scotland to remain part of the United Kingdom. The British Liberal Democrats were formed in 1988 when two older parties joined together. After they formed a government with the Conservatives in the UK in 2010, their support dropped. They currently have four MSPs and four MPs. Their leader is Alex Cole-Hamilton.

The Scottish Greens are a party that sits between the centre-left and the left-wing. They focus on green politics, which means they care a lot about protecting the environment. They also support Scottish independence and ideas like equality and radical democracy (where people have more direct power). They have close links with Green parties in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The Scottish Greens won their first seat in the Scottish Parliament in 1999. They currently have 7 MSPs but have never won any seats in the UK Parliament.

Reform UK Scotland is the Scottish part of the UK-wide Reform UK party. This party is generally right-wing and wants the UK to be completely separate from the European Union (this is called Euroscepticism). They gained their first elected representative in Scotland in January 2021 when Michelle Ballantyne, who used to be a Conservative MSP, joined them. However, she lost her seat in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, so the party currently has no elected representatives in Scotland.

The Alba Party is a party that supports Scottish independence. It was formed in February 2021 and is led by former First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond. Soon after it started, two MPs from the SNP joined the Alba Party. This made Alba the fourth largest Scottish party in the UK Parliament for a short time. However, the party did not win any seats in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.

Parties with Elected Representatives

Parties in the Scottish Parliament or UK Parliament

Six parties in Scotland currently have elected representatives in either the Scottish Parliament or the UK Parliament. All of them, except the Scottish Greens and the Alba Party, have members in both parliaments. Also, all parties except the Alba Party have elected members in local councils across Scotland.

Party		Founded	Political Position	Main Ideas	Leader		Scottish Parliament (MSPs)	UK Parliament (Scottish MPs)	Local Councils (Councillors)	Members
	Scottish National Party	1934	Centre-left	Scottish independence Social democracy Pro-European	Humza Yousaf	Humza Yousaf	63 / 129	43 / 59	453 / 1,227	74,889
	Scottish Conservatives	1965	Centre-right	Conservatism British unionism	Douglas Ross	Douglas Ross	31 / 129	7 / 59	214 / 1,227	Unknown
	Scottish Labour	1994	Centre-left	Social democracy British unionism	Anas Sarwar	Anas Sarwar	22 / 129	2 / 59	282 / 1,227	16,467
	Scottish Greens	1990	Centre-left to Left-wing	Green politics Scottish independence Pro-European	Patrick Harvie Lorna Slater	Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater (co-leadership)	7 / 129	0 / 59	35 / 1,227	7,646
	Scottish Liberal Democrats	1988	Centre to Centre-left	Liberalism Social liberalism British unionism	Alex Cole-Hamilton	Alex Cole-Hamilton	4 / 129	4 / 59	87 / 1,227	4,185
	Alba Party	2021	N/A	Scottish independence Gender-critical Pro-EFTA	Alex Salmond	Alex Salmond	1 / 129	2 / 59	0 / 1,227	7,500

Parties with Local Council Representatives Only

Some parties in Scotland only have elected representatives in local councils, not in the Scottish Parliament or the UK Parliament.

Other Registered Parties in Scotland

Notable Parties Without Elected Representatives

There are many other registered political parties in Scotland that do not currently have any elected representatives. Some of these parties only operate in Scotland, while others are active across the whole United Kingdom.

Past Political Parties in Scotland

Notable Historical Parties

Many political parties have existed in Scotland throughout history. Here are some of the notable ones:

Notable Deregistered Parties

These are parties that were once registered but are no longer active:

See also

• Lists of political parties
• Politics of Scotland
• Elections in Scotland