Holyrood 2026: the big issues

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In partnership with The Centre for Public Policy, University of Glasgow 

BSL  interpreted

With the Scottish Parliament elections in May 2026, join the academics who will set out the demographic, fiscal, technological and social policy challenges that lie ahead for Scotland and that all political candidates should be aware of in the coming decade. From an ageing population to rapid advances in artificial intelligence, and a complex fiscal framework, what should our future politicians be prioritising if elected next year?

Panellists: 

Professor Nicola McEwen is Director of the Centre for Public Policy and a Professor of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Glasgow. She was founding co-director of the Centre on Constitutional Change, where she remains a research fellow. Nicola completed a senior research fellowship with the ESRC UK in a Changing Europe, having previously been principal investigator of one of its prestigious Brexit Priority Grants.

Professor Graeme Roy is Professor of Economics, Deputy Head of the College of Social Sciences, Assistant Vice Principal and Interim Head of the Adam Smith Business School at the University of Glasgow. Graeme is also chair of the Scottish Fiscal Commission, Scotland’s official independent economic and fiscal forecaster. Prior to joining Glasgow, he was Director of the Fraser of Allander Institute at the University of Strathclyde.

Professor Shannon Vallor is the Baillie Gifford Chair in the Ethics of Data and Artificial Intelligence at the Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI) at the University of Edinburgh, where she directs EFI’s Centre for Technomoral Futures. She is also co-director of the UKRI’s BRAID (Bridging Responsible AI Divides) programme. Professor Vallor's research explores how AI, robotics, and data science reshape human character, habits, and practices.

Dr Hayley Bennett is a lecturer in social policy at the University of Edinburgh. Hayley’s research examines the design and delivery of social security, labour market programmes, and anti-poverty initiatives for the working-age population in the UK. She has an interest in policymaking, public administration, place-based approaches, multi-level governance, devolution, and regional inequalities.