Paul O'Kane Labour Party
Regional list candidate · West Scotland region · list position 4
Served as Labour MSP for West Scotland from 2021 to 2026, with frontbench portfolios spanning equalities, social justice, social security and (from late 2025) education. He was Deputy Convener of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee in his first two years and is the first openly gay Scottish Labour MSP.
Policy Positions
Scotland's Future
Oppose independence. Focus on delivery within the UK and Scotland's strengths in the UK growth sectors. Frame the election as a choice between delivery and SNP-led constitutional distraction.
NHS & Health
End the 8am GP rush, bring back the family doctor, cut waiting times with funding following the patient, introduce an NHS app and AI scanners, and deliver £15/hr for social care workers.
Housing
Deliver 125,000 new homes by 2031 across all tenures. Build 20,000 mid-market rent homes to save tenants an average of £2,700 a year off market rents. Establish a Housing Bank and a private-rented-sector strategy (no new rent controls).
Climate & Transport
Achieve net zero by 2045 ambitions. Double home retrofits, back GB Energy and the Scottish National Investment Bank, end the block on clean nuclear energy, and deliver a fair energy transition for oil and gas workers.
Tax & Public Spending
Commit to no income tax rate rises for five years, with the ambition to lower taxes as the economy grows.
Economy & Jobs
Sustained economic growth as the route to improving living standards. Establish a Scottish Board of Trade, partner with GB Energy and the UK National Wealth Fund, and cut a third of quangos to end government waste.
Education & Childcare
Breakfast clubs in every primary school, 2,000 Education Recovery teachers and 1,500 more classroom assistants, ban mobile phones in classrooms, and top up tax-free childcare to £3,000 per child.
Social Issues
Recommit the NHS to single-sex wards on the basis of biological sex. Deliver a four-nation conversion practices ban to protect LGBT+ people. Tackle long waits for gynaecological procedures as part of a women's health plan.
Track Record
› Elected MSP for West Scotland in 2021
› Scottish Labour spokesperson on equalities, 2023-2026
› Spokesperson on education, December 2025 to dissolution
› Deputy Convener of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, 2021-2023