Edinburgh MP Ian Murray sacked as Scottish Secretary in major Cabinet reshuffle
Edinburgh South Labour MP Ian Murray has been sacked as Scottish Secretary in a major reshuffle of Keir Starmer’s Cabinet.
Mr Murray will be replaced by East Lothian Labour MP Douglas Alexander, who has been Minister for Trade Policy since Labour won last year’s general eletion.
The shake-up in the top posts of the UK Labour government was prompted by Angela Rayner’s forced resignation as Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary after being found to have breached the ministerial code by not paying enough stamp duty on her house purchase.
David Lammy takes over as Deputy Prime Minister and moves from the Foreign Office to become Justice Secretary. Yvette Cooper switches from Home Secretary to Foreign Secretary. And Shabana Mahmood, formerly Justice Secretary, is the new Home Secretary.
Mr Murray’s sacking came as a surprise. He has been MP for Edinburgh South since 2010.. And at two general elections, in 2015 and 2019, he was the only Labour MP elected in Scotland. He served for a year as Shadow Scottish Secretary for a year under Jeremy Corbyn before resigning and was reappointed to the role by Keir Starmer in 2020, keeping the portfolio when Labour came into government last year.
He openly voiced his disappointment at being sacked in today’s reshuffle, but pledged continuing support for the government.
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, while continuing to serve the wonderful people of Edinburgh South."
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."
Mr Alexander’s return to Cabinet comes a year after he was re-elected to Westminster as MP for East Lothian after losing his Paisley South seat in 2015 to the SNP’s Mhairi Black.
He previously served as Scottish Secretary for a year under Tony Blair, combining the job with Transport Secretary, but he was then appointed International Development Secretary by Gordon Brown when he became Prime Minister in 2007.