When Jim Murphy was voted leader of Scottish Labour in December last year, he knew he had a hard road ahead. But the party didn’t expect to fail quite so spectacularly, losing all but one of its Scottish seats in Westminster to the SNP. Including Murphy’s seat, East Renfrewshire.
Following a bleak general election result for Labour throughout the UK, Murphy has decided to remain leader. He replied “yes” when asked if he could still become Scotland’s First Minister in next year’s Holyrood election.
But will he really be able to hang on to his position? There are calls within the party for his resignation. Ian Davidson, the Labour candidate who lost his Glasgow South West seat to the SNP, is urging Murphy to stand down as leader:
He was elected as party leader on the basis that he was an MP. Only MPs and MSPs can stand for the leadership. Morally, as the man who has led us to the biggest ever disaster that Labour has suffered in Scotland . . . of course he can’t continue.
The process of rebuilding the Labour party has got to start with an examination of both personnel and ideas. And therefore Jim has got to do the honourable thing and resign. I’m sure once he has got time to reflect, he will do that.
Neil Findlay MSP, the leftwing candidate who ran against Murphy for the leadership, resigned from his position as work, skills and training spokesperson in Labour’s shadow cabinet in the Scottish Parliament.
Two unions are calling for Murphy to resign – the influential Unite, and ASLEF, the train drivers’ union.
The Scottish secretary of Unite, Pat Rafferty, said:
Change must begin with a new leader. It is surprising that Jim Murphy should feel he still has a mandate to lead the party after Thursday‘s results. I do not say this out of any personal animus.
Jim fought a courageous campaign, and the party’s problems clearly long predate his leadership. But staying on as leader will only prolong the party’s agony. Scottish Labour must be rebuilt from the ground up, free from the taint of machine politics and the legacy of the misjudgements of the last Labour government.
And ASLEF’s Kevin Lindsay – who represents the union’s Scottish train drivers – commented:
Jim Murphy has just presided over the worst election defeat in the history of the Scottish Labour Party. He has to go — and he has to go now.
Ed Miliband, Harriet Harman, Nick Clegg, and even Nigel Farage have all stood down, accepting responsibility for, and the consequences of, defeat for their parties at the polls. It is, therefore, quite clear to most of us in the Scottish Labour Party what the right thing is for Jim Murphy to do.
Ironically, those four are still Parliamentarians. Jim Murphy isn’t. His position is untenable. What he does not appear to understand is that, with being leader, comes responsibility. Now Jim Murphy’s moral judgement is being questioned by the Scottish people as he tries desperately to cling on.
Without anyone in place to defend him at Westminster, and fears of next year’s Holyrood election among Labour’s MSPs, will Murphy be able to hang on much longer?
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