Ian Murray: Union Flag jacket photo the result of 'a few ciders' at Glastonbury

Scottish Labour MP Ian Murray has revealed that a notorious photograph of him wearing a Union Flag jacket, has "haunted" him, after he tweeted it out in the wake of "a few ciders" at the Glastonbury music festival.

Ian Murray and the photo that has "haunted" him.

The Edinburgh South MP, who is in the running to be the next deputy leader of the UK Labour Party, was quizzed about donning the controversial jacket by a Sky TV presenter this morning.

The red, white, and blue garment has been used by some Scottish independence supporters to denounce Mr Murray as a "Brit-Nat" and a "Red Tory" - and was described laughingly as a "skeleton in his closet" by the presenter interviewing him.

Today Mr Murray, who is against Scottish independence, said: "This has followed me around for years, It was a bit of fun. I was at Glastonbury - and there was a company there called Opposuits who go to Glastonbury every year. You can get a picture of your wedding, a TV test card, or day-glo orange - I was leafing through and they asked my size, and that was the only 42 they had, so I tried it on.

"A photograph was taken and I said that photo should never go anywhere but of course at Glastonbury after a few ciders you tend to be a little looser with your Twitter feed and it's haunted me since."

Mr Murray, who is running against MPs Angela Rayner and Richard Burgon for the deputy position - and is Labour's sole remaining Scottish MP after last month's General Election - was also asked about the issue of anti-Semitism within the Labour Party.

He said: "I've pledged, that if I do become deputy leader. I want every single csae of anti semitism and other bullying and harassment claims in the party, on my desk every week to make sure they're being dealt with, and to look at working with the Jewish commmunity and the Jewish organisations to provide a better system to make sure they're dealt with effectively."

He added: "I think people should take their head out the sand and just deal with this. No longer should the Labour Party be walking on the other side of the street when minority communities in this country are screaming out for the Labour Party to do something that's in the national interest - and their interest - and that's to rid the party of the cancer of anti-Semitism it's as simple and straighforward as that."