Murray launches deputy leadership bid

Labour MP Ian Murray has announced he is standing to be a candidate in the party’s deputy leadership contest. The MP for Edinburgh South and former Shadow Scottish Secretary said Labour must change and become a ‘credible alternative government of the future, not a protest movement of the past’.

Mr Murray, who last year won his seat with a majority of more than 11,000 and was the only Labour MP to win in Scotland, said the party needs to learn how to beat the odds. He said the UK Labour Party can learn from Scotland where populist nationalism had its first victory in the UK, and should learn from his experience of building broad coalitions of support.

He added that Labour must look to the future, with an ‘open and inclusive policy process to lead us to the next manifesto.’ Mr Murray, 43, said the Labour Party can only deliver ‘hope and aspiration for every child’ if it is in power.

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6 thoughts on “Murray launches deputy leadership bid

  1. Populist Nationalism? I take it then that during the heady days of Kinnock and his feeble 50 Scotland was enjoying its glory days of Populist British Nationalism?

  2. How will Mr Murray do? He is undoubtedly a clever operator, though somewhat ego-centric.
    He stands for election on a British Nationalist ticket: opposes Scots having a direct say on their future: plays up his opposition to the elected leadership of his own party. His “stance” is very parochial, and simply could not be replicated elsewhere in the UK.
    His anti-Corbynism will garnish votes from MP’s. How will it play in the wider party and trades unions, where they may wish to balance a southern Leader with a northern Deputy, in an England now concerned with geography?
    There is also an argument that his selfishly playing to the gallery by quitting the front bench, cost Scottish Labour votes. See “ego-centric”.

    At the end of the day, his disloyalty to Corbyn as a Shadow Minister, is more extreme than Corbyn’s was from the back benches. See “selfishly playing to the gallery”.

    £1,000,000’s worth of smiley faces to the person who can name the present Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland off the top of their heads—-collect from Duncan!

  3. Watch Labour chase and adopt English populist nationalism as they desperately try to woo the English and Welsh Brexit vote. They are looking at decades in the wilderness of English politics if they dont and decades in the wilderness of Scottish politics if they do.
    Thats Labours story they can no longer appeal to the vote across the UK they have to pick a side. Accept the break up and end of the UK or continue to enact King Canute’s day at the beach.

  4. “Populist nationalism”? I think he means ‘popular nationalism’.

      1. What? Like “British jobs for British workers”?
        Or “progressive patriotism”?

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