Scottish elections 2026: Meet the candidates fighting for your vote in Falkirk West

​Neil Benny – Scottish Conservative

At this election there is a straight choice. The SNP have been in charge for 20 years. Problems in Scotland’s NHS, schools, courts, prisons and policing can all be traced back to decisions the SNP have made.

While they would like to blame other people for our problems, it is their incompetence and negligence that has led to Scotland being in the mess it is now.

There is a better way. The Scottish Conservatives at this election are standing to get Scotland working again. Whether it is our ideas to ensure that people get job training throughout their lives, getting people off benefits back into work, bringing new technology to the NHS, restore discipline to our schools or ensure that criminals serve the sentences they are given, we have the ideas that will get Scotland working.

Over the last five years the Scottish Conservatives have stood up for common sense, whether it was highlighting failures on school discipline, protecting women’s spaces or holding the SNP to account for failures on drug policy, it was us who led the way. All the other parties in Scotland lined up to support things like gender self-id and want to see more Scots left on benefits. More of the same woke, left wing nonsense from the rest of the Scottish political establishment is the last thing we need right now.

The Scottish Conservatives have the ideas, the policies, the experience and the talent to make Scotland the kind of place we would all want to live. We have fantastic political figures like Meghan Gallacher, who has spoken up for Falkirk as our regional MSP on countless occasions.

I have a great deal to offer our community. I have experience in the private sector working in the digital sector and as a retailer. Bringing that experience into the service of the people of Falkirk West would be a tremendous privilege.

If you vote for me, it would be a vote for a dedicated and experienced public servant who would put his constituents first.

At this election you get two votes and it is essential to vote Scottish Conservative on the Peach ballot paper. Unionists were able to stop SNP politicians from getting a majority by doing that before and we can do it again. Voting Scottish Conservative on the peach ballot paper is a vote for common sense, for experience and to get Scotland Working.

Gary Bouse – Scottish National Party

The people of Falkirk West face a clear choice about the future of your communities and country.

Your SNP candidate, Gary Bouse, has a proven track record of delivery, strong leadership, is rooted in his community and has a vision with Scotland’s potential as an independent nation, and the opportunities this has for our people, at its heart.

Raised in modest circumstances, Gary Bouse was shaped by the realities of poverty and the barriers it can impose. Those experiences are not simply part of his past – they underpin his outlook on life, grounded in fairness, opportunity, and a determination to ensure others do not face the same struggles.

Gary served as an apprentice joiner before building nearly 40 years of experience in business management.

Known for his ability to get things done, he has brought that same focus and determination into public service, and to the people of Carse, Kinnaird and Tryst ward where he has been elected to serve as councillor for the past nine years.

Falkirk West is the place Gary Bouse is proud to call home. Where he has lived, worked and brought up his family over the past four decades.

As a councillor, he has delivered in key leadership roles. His time in office has been defined by action; driving forward major housing developments across the Falkirk Council area. Projects providing high-quality, energy-efficient homes, helping to cut fuel poverty and strengthen local communities.

This election is about your priorities and about the kind of country we want Scotland to be. Costs are spiralling, people are facing real pressures and UK government policies and ministers are standing idly by, consumed by the chaos they created.

Right now, too many decisions that shape our lives are made elsewhere, by a system that doesn’t put you first. And we see the consequences of this every day—pressure on households, on services, on opportunity. That’s the status quo. But it doesn’t have to be our future.

The people of Falkirk West, and the people of Scotland deserve a government that will never stop working to deliver for you. A government that’s laser focused on improving lives. That’s what you get with Gary Bouse and the SNP.

For voters in Falkirk West, the message is clear: for an MSP and government that is always on your side, and a fresh start with independence, make it both votes SNP on May 7.

​Richard Fairley – Reform UK

I was born and brought up in Larbert. Went to Larbert village primary school then onto Larbert High. Having worked on the family farm around school hours all my life, I then went onto Oatridge Agricultural College.

I went into a farming partnership with my father, this led to taking on more rented land and increasing cattle numbers. Alongside the farm I have had gritting contracts in business parks, hotels and Larbert hospital, along with some ground’s maintenance contracts.

Recently with a growing dissatisfaction with the way the country was governed, I joined Reform UK and stood in Alloa and Grangemouth in the 2024 general election.

I now stand to represent Falkirk West in the Scottish Parliamentary election for those of us who get up in the morning, work hard to provide for their family and power the economy that all our public services rely on.

I am only 32 but the amount of decline in this area in my lifetime is dreadful. Falkirk town centre used to have lots of great shops, was always busy when I went as a wee boy. The last 10-15 years there’s next to nothing left. Industrial decline in areas such as Camelon, Wrangler Factory (500 jobs lost in 1999) and because of the SNP Government purchasing Chinese buses over Scottish ones we’re about to lose 115 jobs in Alexanders. In Larbert I used to walk to primary school past Jones and Campbell (closed in 2003 loss of 250 jobs) ,Falcon that closed in 2004 all of which is now housing.

In our neighbouring constituency we are about to lose the well paid once secure jobs in Grangemouth and its surrounding suppliers.

Industrial decline caused by both houses of parliaments’ high taxes, high energy prices and net zero madness that sees imported goods as better for the environment than those produced right here.

Unlike the other parties Reform UK and I will put Scottish people first cutting energy bills through scrapping net zero to cut energy costs, cutting income tax to leave working people with more money in their pocket to spend in the local economy.

I will back Scottish manufacturing to keep what we have and attract more good jobs back to the area. I will back NHS reforms that support our hard-working frontline staff but strive for far better management above them, still free at the point of need.

​Paul Godzik – Scottish Labour

Scotland needs change. After nearly two decades in power the SNP led Scottish Government is out of ideas and out of time. This election is the opportunity to take Scotland in a new direction, with a clear focus on renewing our public services and getting the basics right.

​This election is about who governs Scotland for the next five years. Events across the world and across the UK are important, and concerning, but this election isn’t about Donald Trump or the Westminster government, it’s not even about Michael Mathison’s iPad. The election in Falkirk West is about who you want to represent you in the Scottish Parliament, and what form you want the next parliament to take.

John Swinney and the SNP want this election to be about independence. He wants you to forget the SNP’s record in government over the last two decades. But with the NHS in constant crisis, a housing emergency that has been ignored, our local college faced with funding cuts, and care for the elderly in chaos, I don’t believe you should ignore the SNP record in government.

The key question for voters in Falkirk West is: has John Swinney and the SNP Government improved our country over the last 20 years?

I believe our focus must be on our community and our public services. I grew up in Denny and Dunipace, and it’s a community I love, but it’s a community that could and should be better. Many communities across the Falkirk area have been forgotten by the Scottish Government, and local government has been subject to year after year of budget cuts.

I’ve spent years working on community development and community-led projects, and I give my commitment that as your MSP my focus will be on our community and how it can be improved.

I support Labour’s plan for house building and providing more affordable housing. I want to see real reform in our NHS, by reducing bureaucracy, driving down waiting times and placing a real focus on mental health. I also want to see the next Scottish Government develop an industrial strategy that will support Scottish jobs, Scottish business and our local communities.

The recent SNP funding for electric buses sees more Scottish Government cash flowing to China, rather than supporting local jobs here in Falkirk. That is a scandal, and under Labour, Scottish Government cash will be funding Falkirk, not forgetting it.

Falkirk needs change. The focus of the next Scottish Parliament must be on our local communities and ensuring our public services work for local people. I hope local people will vote for change and vote Labour on May 7.

​Stuart McArthur – Independent

My name is Stuart McArthur and I’m standing for election as the independent candidate for Falkirk West in recognition of the fact that many people feel disconnected from the existing political system and there is a need for better representation of their views in the national decisions that impact communities on a daily basis.

I’m now working as a self employed taxi driver and each time someone steps into the car, I have the privilege to be shown a window into their world and hear first hand what’s getting in the way of a better life for both themselves and their families now and in the future.

On a personal level, despite having a Master of Science Degree in Energy & Environmental Systems, I have worked in different jobs in both the public and private sector; experiencing the stress that arises from short term, temporary contracts and low pay.

I understand the struggles of people, who have found themselves progressively worse off as a result of austerity, the subsequent cuts and lack of investment into vital public services.

Although I have not held a formal role, I’ve been politically active for over 25 years supporting local green initiatives, socialist policies, regional devolution and the anti-war movement.

If selected, I would challenge policies that fail to reverse, or those that exacerbate, the decline that our communities have experienced under previous governments. The Scottish budget needs to focus on people not private profit.

As your MSP I commit to represent your views to:

• Reinvest in public sector

• Support NHS and emergency services

• Increase tax thresholds

• Tackle fuel poverty and cost of living crisis

• Support local food production

• National veterinary service

• Reintroduce public holiday pay

• No fracking or freeports

• Investment in green energy e.g. wave, wind, solar, tidal, hydro

• Open safe routes for people seeking asylum with reciprocal visa laws

• No war and no genocide

​Lucy Smith – Scottish Liberal Democrats

I’m Lucy Smith, candidate for Falkirk West for the Scottish Liberal Democrats.

For me, standing for election in the community I live in comes with immense pride. I want to be a voice for all within the constituency and, in true Liberal Democrat style, get things done: from getting our high streets within Falkirk back to their best, to working with the council and improving provision for children with additional support needs, helping the families that need it most.

I have had a curiosity about politics from a young age. For me, politics should be about making a difference for everyone, and that's what led me to become a casework officer within the Scottish Parliament.

I am passionate about improving the lives of those with chronic illnesses, representing the younger generation, advocating for carer’s support and championing women.

Right now, Scotland has so much going for it, but it feels like our country simply isn’t working. Household bills are soaring. People are facing long waits to see their GP. Education just isn’t what it used to be.

If you vote for the Scottish Liberal Democrats, we would:

Bring down the waits to see your local GP, so you can see a doctor at the first time of asking.

Tackle the cost of living by insulating cold Scottish homes, bringing down household bills and putting money back into your pockets.

Get Scotland moving again, fixing our broken infrastructure and focus on skills, planning and housing.

Get Scottish education back to its best, by taking mobile phones out of classrooms and bring in more pupil support assistants.

I am very excited for the upcoming election and the difference it could make for the people of Falkirk West.

We know in this election that people are looking for change. The best way to get that is to vote for the Scottish Liberal Democrats, both on your lilac constituency ballot paper and on that crucial, peach regional ballot paper, for a local champion who will deliver change with fairness at its heart.