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Ian Murray: the last Scottish Labour MP standing Ian Murray: the last Scottish Labour MP standing
(about 1 hour later)
Ian Murray, in the prosperous constituency of Edinburgh South, was the only Labour MP left after the party’s disastrous defeat to the Scottish National party in May’s general election.Ian Murray, in the prosperous constituency of Edinburgh South, was the only Labour MP left after the party’s disastrous defeat to the Scottish National party in May’s general election.
The SNP took 40 of Labour’s 41 Scottish seats, leaving Scotland with the lowest level of Labour representation in Westminster for more than 100 years.The SNP took 40 of Labour’s 41 Scottish seats, leaving Scotland with the lowest level of Labour representation in Westminster for more than 100 years.
“It was pretty devastating really,” says Murray, who was unsurprisingly appointed shadow Scotland secretary by the acting Labour leader, Harriet Harman, in the post-election re-shuffle. “There was no celebration, certainly, when I won the seat in Edinburgh South because of what had happened across the country.” “It was pretty devastating really,” says Murray, who unsurprisingly was appointed shadow Scotland secretary by the acting Labour leader, Harriet Harman, in the post-election reshuffle. “There was no celebration, certainly, when I won the seat in Edinburgh South because of what had happened across the country.”
Murray, the son of a cooper father and shop worker mother, fended off the Liberal Democrats to win the seat in 2010 after seven years as a Labour councillor.Murray, the son of a cooper father and shop worker mother, fended off the Liberal Democrats to win the seat in 2010 after seven years as a Labour councillor.
To see them lose in such a tsunami of defeat was disappointing, and devastating for the partyTo see them lose in such a tsunami of defeat was disappointing, and devastating for the party
This time around, despite previously holding the smallest majority of any Scottish MP, Murray beat his SNP opponent by about 2,500 votes, helped in part by the discovery that his nationalist opponent had tweeted, under a pseudonym, comparing No voters to Nazi collaborators. This time around, despite previously holding the smallest majority of any Scottish MP, Murray beat his SNP opponent by about 2,500 votes, helped in part by the discovery that his nationalist opponent had tweeted, under a pseudonym, comparing pro-union voters to Nazi collaborators.
“I lost not just some very close colleagues but people who had worked incredibly hard in their local communities for years, if not decades,” says Murray. “To see them lose in such a tsunami of defeat was disappointing, and devastating for the party.”“I lost not just some very close colleagues but people who had worked incredibly hard in their local communities for years, if not decades,” says Murray. “To see them lose in such a tsunami of defeat was disappointing, and devastating for the party.”
The result in Scotland was partly a hangover from the independence referendum, says Murray, but he also argues that Labour found itself trapped between Scottish nationalist feeling north of the border and English nationalist feeling to the south.The result in Scotland was partly a hangover from the independence referendum, says Murray, but he also argues that Labour found itself trapped between Scottish nationalist feeling north of the border and English nationalist feeling to the south.
“The SNP managed to say to the Scottish people that if you vote SNP, we’ll deliver a Labour government and, of course, that’s not happened,” he says. “The Conservatives then used that as an issue, [using] English nationalism to stop the Labour party in England.“The SNP managed to say to the Scottish people that if you vote SNP, we’ll deliver a Labour government and, of course, that’s not happened,” he says. “The Conservatives then used that as an issue, [using] English nationalism to stop the Labour party in England.
“I think that, although we had a very positive policy platform – I was quite excited about it, in fact it was so good that the SNP copied and pasted it into their own manifesto – we just didn’t cut through in being able to talk about those things,” says Murray. “I think that, although we had a very positive policy platform – I was quite excited about it, in fact it was so good that the SNP copied and pasted it into their own manifesto – we just didn’t cut through in being able to talk about those things.”
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When Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy resigned, despite surviving a confidence vote from the party’s executive shortly after the general election, Murray was one of the first to say the current deputy leader of Scottish Labour, Kezia Dugdale, should stand to replace him. When the Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy resigned, despite surviving a confidence vote from the party’s executive shortly after the general election, Murray was one of the first to say the current deputy leader of Scottish Labour, Kezia Dugdale, should stand to replace him.
But he isn’t so forthcoming on the race to replace Ed Miliband as UK Labour leader. “I haven’t met all the candidates yet,” he says. “I’ve said very clearly to them all that I would like to give the courtesy of at least having spoken to all the candidates before I make any decision.” But he isn’t so forthcoming on the race to replace Ed Miliband as UK Labour leader. “I haven’t met all the candidates yet,” he says. “I’ve said very clearly to them all that I would like to give the courtesy of at least having spoken to all the candidates before I make any decision.
“Given the way the electoral college system [which gave the unions a guaranteed third of the vote] has been disbanded for UK Labour leadership elections – and it’s one member one vote – I may take the decision not to nominate anyone and keep [my] vote private,” he adds. “Given the way the electoral college system [which gave the unions a guaranteed third of the vote] has been disbanded for UK Labour leadership elections, and it’s one member one vote, I may take the decision not to nominate anyone and keep [my] vote private,” he adds.
Murray says the three remaining non-SNP MPs (himself, Alistair Carmichael for the Lib Dems and David Mundell for the Conservatives) have a responsibility to work together over the next five years, but he also expects to work closely with the SNP.Murray says the three remaining non-SNP MPs (himself, Alistair Carmichael for the Lib Dems and David Mundell for the Conservatives) have a responsibility to work together over the next five years, but he also expects to work closely with the SNP.
Labour and the SNP will “be in the same lobbies more often than not”, says Murray. “During the last parliament, although there were only six SNP MPs, we were in the lobbies together more often than not, opposing what the government was doing, so we’ll do that on an issue-by-issue basis.”Labour and the SNP will “be in the same lobbies more often than not”, says Murray. “During the last parliament, although there were only six SNP MPs, we were in the lobbies together more often than not, opposing what the government was doing, so we’ll do that on an issue-by-issue basis.”
The challenge to the SNP will be “whether or not they decide to attack the Conservative government or whether they continue just attacking the Labour party”, says Murray. “They’ll have to decide where their loyalties lie in that sense.” The challenge to the SNP will be “whether or not they decide to attack the Conservative government or whether they continue just attacking the Labour party,” says Murray. “They’ll have to decide where their loyalties lie in that sense.”
• Ian Murray was speaking to the Guardian for the Politics Weekly podcast, which you can listen to here.