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Healthcare, Bills, and Borders: Inside the Voter Mindset Ahead of the 2026 Scottish Elections

Politics
March 31, 2026 · 11:08 PM
Healthcare, Bills, and Borders: Inside the Voter Mindset Ahead of the 2026 Scottish Elections

With just six weeks to go until the 2026 Scottish elections, the political landscape is bracing for a massive shake-up. An influx of fresh faces is guaranteed, as roughly one-third of the current Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) have chosen to step down rather than seek re-election, paving the way for a distinctly different legislative body.

To capture the mood of the electorate as the countdown intensifies, reporters traveled to the constituency of Hamilton, Larkhall, and Stonehouse. Speaking directly with locals revealed a clear picture of what matters most on the doorstep: the state of the National Health Service, the ongoing cost-of-living squeeze, and national immigration policies are emerging as the defining talking points for voters heading into the ballot box.

The on-the-ground coverage, filmed and edited by Morgan Spence and produced by Paul Ward, underscores how everyday household issues are poised to heavily influence the upcoming vote.

Image 1: Splitscreen. Left, gas prices hit over 6 dollars. Right, a man speaks to camera from a petrol station.

Image 2: A composite image of Theo Leggett holding up his wallet, next to a vegetable aisle in a supermarket

Image 3: Splitscreen. Left, a gas station price sign. Right, a woman in sunglasses speaks to camera, while in a car.

Image 4: Floors collapse inside the building as fire fighters work at the site of a large fire in Glasgow City centre on March 8, 2026.

Image 5: Split screen image featuring Nick Marsh, a car being filled with petrol and basket full of vegetables

Image 6: A large industrial crane on an urban riverside area, a person holding a microphone stands in the foreground.

Image 7: School shirts hanging up.

Image 8: Glenn Campbell talks into a studio radio mic. he is wearing a black suit jacket, white shirt and a tie.

Image 9: A curling stone being polished in a workshop

Image 10: Conor, with short brown hair, a moustache and short beard, mid-speaking, wearing a white t-shirt and black jacket. The background features a white wall a yellow locker to the left side and a world globe on the right.

Image 11: Split screen showing father and son on the left, and boy standing during leg physio session on the right

Image 12: A surgeon in a mask with protective clothing on is holding onto the arms of a surgical robot. She is wearing gloves which are stained red with blood. She has glasses on and is looking away from the robot to the right of the screen.

Image 13: Betty Miller standing at the information desk in the lobby of Coventry's University Hospital. She has white hair and is wearing her blue volunteer's uniform with a volunteer lanyard. She is standing in front of a blue sign marked "Information Desk".

Image 14: A man with his arm in a brace with a nurse seeing to him

Image 15: Man with blue tie, white shirt and black hair

Image 16: Ros Dowey on BBC Breakfast sofa

Image 17: A bald man in a royal blue T-shirt bearing the words "This T-shirt identifies as a Christmas jumper" stands with his back to the counter in his coffee shop, a customer on the other side of it.

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Image 19: Man with short brown hair and graphic T-shirt and black jacket and jeans stands on the street and speaks into a mic.

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Image 21: Farrah Robb, a musician with long brown/blonde hair in the BBC Radio studio. She is wearing a blue Scotland football top and is playing a dark grey guitar.

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Image 23: Two elderly men sat in chairs with pedal devices at feet

Image 24: Jack Doherty standing in Glasgow's Ashton lane holding a black microphone. He has short dark hair, a moustache and is wearing a dark grey collared jacket and a white t-shirt.

Image 25: A woman sitting on a bench, wearing sunglasses, a blue jumper. She is surrounded by crocheted poppies

Image 26: A figure holds an exploding firework in their hand, with smoke and other hooded figures crowded around outside a house.

Image 27: A composite of multiple images of Nicholas Rossi. The central image shows a portrait of Rossi, a young man in his 30s, with short black hair and black-rimmed glasses. He has a white shirt with a red tie and is wearing a navy waistcoat. In the background are prison mugshot images showing him as a younger man and highlighting his arm tattoos. On the right is another image of Rossi in circular spectacles while wearing an oxygen mask.

Image 28: Marti Pellow in a light pink v-neck knit jumper with white shirt collar poking out the top. He is wearing dark framed glasses and is smiling.

Image 29: Weather presenter in burgundy dress and forecast for Scotland v Greece World Cup qualifier at Hampden.

Image 30: Woman wearing burgandy dress, with blue sky and rainbow in the background.

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Image 32: Gillian Smart stands by a weather map showing fairly clear skies over Scotland on Wednesday at 05:00

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Image 34: Two fishing boats near Fort William as waves smash into their sides amid stormy seas.

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Image 36: The interior of a helicopter in flight, with an engineer in the passenger seat and pylons in the background.

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Image 38: BBC Weather presenter Kirsteen Macdonald stands in front of a Belladrum graphic

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Image 40: Composite image of two plane spotters holding a camera and the other holding binoculars

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Image 42: A composite image with BBC journalist James Cook outside a large hotel wearing a grey shirt, and President Donald Trump on the right playing golf, wearing a navy jumper and his signature red 'Make America Great Again' cap..

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Image 44: Woman standing in the street, she has long hair and a pink jumpsuit and a microphone.