Ian Murray ‘hugely disappointed’ to be out of UK Government

Ian Murray said he was “hugely disappointed” to be out of the Government after being sacked as Scottish Secretary in Sir Keir Starmer’s reshuffle.

The Prime Minister is changing his top team after Angela Rayner’s resignation as deputy prime minister, housing secretary, and deputy leader of the Labour Party.

Mr Murray, who has been the MP for Edinburgh South since 2010, was appointed as Scottish Secretary after Labour’s general election victory last year.

He had held the shadow role in opposition after being left as the only Labour MP in Scotland after both the 2015 and 2019 elections.

Leaving office, Mr Murray said it had been the “honour of my life” to serve as the first Labour Scottish Secretary for 14 years.

In a letter posted on X, he said: “After many years as the sole Scottish Labour MP it was a privilege to play a pivotal role in bringing Labour back to power in Westminster, and the honour of my life to be asked by the Prime Minister to serve as the first Labour Secretary of State for Scotland in 14 years.”

He said, in his time in the job, he had “worked tirelessly” to “put Scotland at the heart of the UK Government”, as he vowed he would continue to support the Prime Minister and the Government from the backbenches.

Mr Murray continued: “I am hugely disappointed to be leaving Government with so much done and so much more to do, but I now look forward to spending a little more time with my wife and two beautiful girls.”

He added: “I will be forever proud of having helped deliver 37 Scottish Labour MPs last year.

“I have always felt a responsibility, having been the sole Scottish Labour MP for so long, to bring on and nurture the next generation of elected politicians and staff.

“I hope that has left a legacy that will thrive in years to come.”

However, SNP MP Stephen Gethins said the sacking is “the latest sign of Labour Party acrimony”.

He said: “Ian Murray’s sacking is the latest sign of Labour Party acrimony. It is no wonder they have slumped 20 points behind the SNP in Scotland, when they are fighting like rats in a sack while failing to lift a finger to help families.

“Voters will not forgive the Labour Party for taking the UK from bad to worse and breaking its promise to deliver change.

“We were told things would get better but, under the Labour Party, food and energy bills are rising, poverty is at record levels, unemployment is at a four-year high, the economy has been downgraded, public finances are deteriorating – and the vast majority of people think the UK is in a bad state and getting worse.”

Mr Murray being Labour’s only MP in Scotland, after the 2015 and 2019 general elections, led to the joke that the country boasted more pandas than Labour MPs – Edinburgh Zoo being home to two of the endangered creatures at the time.