By Gina Davidson

If ever you needed proof that we live in interesting times, the Scottish Parliament elections in May will deliver it.

Everything in Scottish political life at the moment revolves around 7 May. It has done for the last 12 months - and it will only get more intense in the months ahead. And that’s because for the first time in a decade or so, there is a real battle ahead and the political landscape in Scotland could change entirely.

Of course, it’s a fool’s game to predict election outcomes this far from a vote being cast, but there is a three-way fight for the hearts and minds - and the crosses in the ballot box - of the Scottish electorate dead ahead.

Right now, opinion polls suggest the SNP will remain the biggest party, even after 19 years in government. Numbers vary but winning an outright majority seems just out of reach - at the moment. That, of course, is the magic threshold John Swinney says must be crossed if the party is to demand a second independence referendum. But if their numbers were to slide between now and May, and tides can easily change in election campaigns, then just who will be First Minister becomes a less settled question.

SNP sources say they are not complacent about the election ahead - and they have both Labour and Reform UK, if not quite breathing down their neck at the moment, most definitely waiting in the wings.

This election was supposed to be Scottish Labour’s big moment. The General Election victory of Keir Starmer had a sound footing in Scotland, returning 37 MPs after years of the party being in the wilderness.

But since then, the party has slipped in the polls as decisions made by the PM and his Chancellor have slowly but surely undermined Anas Sarwar’s chances. Starmer’s lack of popularity in Scotland even raises questions about his appearance in the campaign ahead - and Sarwar himself bangs the drum that it is he, and not the PM, who is up for election.

Labour also points to its victory in the Hamilton by-election as proof that it can buck the polling trends, and, without a doubt, it has more money and........

© LBC