St Andrews Union and Women in Politics Society Host Hustings Ahead of May Scottish Election

On Thursday 30 April, 2026, the University of St Andrews Students’ Association hosted an election hustings in collaboration with St Andrews Women in Politics Society for the North East Fife constituency, ahead of the Scottish Party Elections on Thursday 7 May.

Hosted at the Byre Theatre, former Scottish Labour Party leader Kezia Dugdale chaired the event. Candidates John Beare for the Scottish National Party, Elizabeth Carr-Ellis for Scottish Labour, Dunfermline and West Fife Scottish Greens candidate Mags Hall, current Liberal Democrats MSP for the constituency Willie Rennie, and Edward Sheasby for the Scottish Conservative Party were in attendance. Reform Scotland UK local councillor and candidate for Kirkcaldy, Julie MacDougall, withdrew from the panel on the morning of the event.

The hustings covered a wide range of topics, including issues of affordable housing, energy policy, climate change, EU-relations, healthcare, and tourism.

University of St Andrews Vice-Chancellor and Principal Dame Sally Mapstone opened the event with a discussion on the importance of universities’ facilitation of civic engagement.

“St Andrews reaffirms our clear commitment to the core ideals that span academic and democratic life: the promotion of informed discourse, the exercise of respectful exchange, and the discipline of critical inquiry,” Mapstone said.

The Principal continued: “These impulses are foundational to the health and vitality of a democratic society, yet they’re also vital to nurturing the leaders of the future.” 

President of Union Affairs Alice Hodges followed Mapstone’s opening with remarks encouraging students to participate in the upcoming election. 

“Across Scotland, there are over half a million students. That is a significant part of the electorate. When students turn out, the impact is huge. Yet, historically, 80% of students don't vote,” she said. 

Hodges added that there has been significant efforts in increasing student engagement with voting, and “making sure that students are recognised in these elections in a meaningful way.”

She continued: “The decisions being discussed here are widely felt by students from education funding [...] to the cost of living, which directly affects whether students can afford to be here [in St Andrews].”

When prompted to outline a policy that would benefit university students, MSP Rennie said, “We need to rebuild our relationship with Europe. The ties that were snapped in half [with Brexit] have had a dramatic impact, not just in the University but also on the rights and opportunities of students.”

He added that “What we need to do, on a pragmatic basis, is work to rebuild the relationship so that university students can educate themselves.” 

Other candidates, such as the SNP’s Beare and Labour’s Carr-Ellis, shared more pro-Europe views.

“If I were to be elected, I would be in the back room arguing that we need to get back into the EU,” Carr-Ellis said.

Further into the evening, audience members raised questions regarding the candidates’ positions on improving access to mental health services and women’s healthcare. 

Conservative candidate Sheasby advocated for resolving these disparities by redistributing funds within the NHS.

“We’re going to make sure that the NHS budget is rising in line with inflation every year,” Sheasby said.

He continued: “However, we’re going to reform where a lot of money is being spent so we can address less in comm[unication]s and back office functions, and a lot more on the front line with nurses and doctors and mental health, and in wards and services that address women's health.”

Scottish Greens Hall countered Sheasby’s statement, stating: “I would love to know how the Tories are going to invest in our NHS when they have also put forward a massive package of tax cuts,” adding, “Edward is right — this does come down to investment.”

For more information on voting, North East Fife constituency polling stations can be found here.

Photo by Maira Rana