When the Scottish Parliament meets for the first time after the election, among the faces in the chamber will be 64 new MSPs, the biggest turnover since the Scottish Parliament was re-convened in 1999 (the previous record was 2016, with 51 new MSPs). We have not had a parliament like this before, with five reasonably similar-sized parties and one dominant party, and with one party with a new leader who has not served as an MSP before. While there is much debate about the results and what they mean for Scottish politics, what do they mean for the way that the Scottish Parliament will work?
Setting up a new parliament after an election has many steps. Not only do MSPs need to set up offices, hire staff and settle in, they will also need to elect a Presiding Officer (PO), confirm the first minister through an investiture vote, set up committees, establish cross-party groups, and so on. Given this distinctive parliament, some of these steps are not necessarily going to be easy. For example, whoever is elected to the role of PO will need to give up their party affiliation, which had been an issue after the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.
The PO is likely to play an important role. Among other things, they are responsible for maintaining order over the Parliament’s debates. This might become especially important in a more fractious environment with deep divisions across six parties. The PO will need to be robust and confident in dealing with flashpoints such as challenges to rules or norms. The PO also has opportunities to represent the Parliament more generally and may introduce wider initiatives. Ken MacIntosh (PO for 2016-21) launched a Commission on Parliamentary Reform that reported in 2017; more recently, Alison Johnstone (PO for 2021-26) supported a gender-sensitive audit that reported in 2023. One thing to watch out for in the new parliament is the approach taken by the new PO and what impact this might have on debate in the chamber and beyond.
Meanwhile, another important area to consider is the “engine room” of the Scottish Parliament, i.e. the committee system. Committees in the Scottish Parliament were designed to be strong to ensure that the Parliament can adequately scrutinise government. However, with some concerned about committees living up to expectations, the Standards Committee undertook an inquiry into committee effectiveness. Among other things, they recommended that (from Session 7) committee convenors should be elected by the whole Parliament, rather than appointed through parties. In the UK House of Commons, this reform has been credited with revitalising select committee scrutiny since 2010. In March 2026, this recommendation was accepted. It will be worthwhile examining what difference the new system will make on committees over the next five years; it could be one of the biggest changes to the way the Parliament operates.
There are at least three further important issues to consider how committees might work. The first is how the convenorships will be distributed. Traditionally, this is allocated in proportion to the overall party balance, through negotiation by the party business managers. Given the diversity of the Parliament in 2026, and tensions between the parties, these negotiations might prove difficult. For example, while John Swinney has said he wants to work more cooperatively with other parties, he has also said that the SNP will not cooperate with Reform. This might mean that Reform may not hold as many (if any) convenorship roles as their party strength would ordinarily warrant. The second, related, issue is how ordinary members will be appointed. Given the unusual make-up of the Parliament, creating small but balanced committees will not be easy. And third, how will cross-party committee work be managed? In the past, committees were, to a degree, a site of greater consensus politics. A minority government will be required to work with other political parties to get its agenda through. How will this pan out in Session 7? Ultimately what matters is not only the formal powers and capacities, but who holds positions of power and influence, and what norms, values and practices are established.
A final issue that affects the whole Parliament is the relative political and parliamentary experience of MSPs. On the one hand, this election brings a large inexperienced group, especially on the Reform side – not least their party leader, who will be an MSP for the first time. They will need time to learn how to make use of parliamentary procedures for scrutiny of the Scottish government. However, on the other hand, the election has also resulted in several former MSPs being elected, such as Stephen Flynn, who bring with them extensive experience.
In sum: the new Scottish Parliament will have opportunities, such as through revamping the committee system. But it will also face challenges, notably through a more diverse party make-up in the Scottish Parliament. It is now up to MSPs to decide how to make this new environment work.
