Philip Sim and Megan BonarBBC Scotland News
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Douglas Alexander has been appointed Secretary of State for Scotland
Douglas Alexander has become Secretary of State for Scotland after the sacking of Ian Murray in a UK government reshuffle.
The Labour veteran was MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South from 1997 until 2015 and was re-elected in Lothian East last year.
Alexander replaces Murray – Scottish Labour’s longest serving MP and a close ally of the party’s Scottish leader Anas Sarwar.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has reshuffled his team following the resignation of his deputy Angela Rayner.
Alexander previously served as Scottish secretary in Tony Blair’s cabinet from 2006 to 2007 and has held several government roles.
After losing his seat in a shock defeat to the SNP’s Mhairi Black in 2015, he stepped back from politics until the 2024 general election.
In Keir Starmer’s government he has been minister in the Department for Business and Trade and minister of state in the Cabinet Office.
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Ian Murray is Scottish Labour’s longest serving MP
Murray served as MP for Edinburgh South since 2010 and was made Scottish secretary when Labour returned to power in July last year.
For years Murray served as Scotland’s sole Labour MP, after the party lost 40 of its 41 seats in the SNP’s 2015 general election landslide.
In a statement, Murray said he would be “forever proud” of his role in Labour’s resurgence in Scotland.
He said: “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.
“I have worked tirelessly with my wonderful political and civil service team at the Scotland Office, to put Scotland at the heart of this UK government.
“Together, we have already delivered so much for Scotland.”
Murray pledged his support to his “friend” Anas Sarwar ahead of next year’s Holyrood election and said he would continue to support the PM.
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Alexander (left) and Murray (right) celebrate Labour success in Scotland at the 2024 general election
The MP said he was proud of projects such as delivering a frigate deal with Norway, GB Energy in Aberdeen and the recent Scottish budget settlement.
He added: “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.”
Labour peer, Lord George Foulkes, branded Murray’s sacking “a disgraceful decision”.
He said he had “held the fort well through the lean years and has been a brilliant secretary of state”.
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Ian Murray addresses the Scottish Labour MSPs, watched by Anas Sarwar and Sir Keir Starmer
Things have been moving very fast at Downing Street, but Murray’s sacking came as a real surprise.
He was a loyal Starmer footsoldier, always happy to go to bat for the leadership in a way he was notably not during the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn.
Murray had been due to front a government announcement next week, with the media having been invited to interview him on Monday.
There has been some immediate discontent from Scottish Labour figures over this news.
After years being their sole torchbearer at Westminster, Murray has lasted barely a year as Scottish secretary.
One Labour candidate for next year’s election said it was a “shocker”, and that “our electoral success last year was built on his back”.
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Murray was joined by in the Scottish Labour ranks by Michael Shanks (centre) in 2023
In the 2017 general election Murray increased his majority as Labour returned seven Scottish MPs, but he again became Scotland’s sole Labour MP in 2019.
In October 2023 he gained a colleague when Michael Shanks won the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election, giving Labour two MPs in Scotland.
He twice served as shadow Scottish secretary, quitting the post in 2016 in protest over Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.
He was reappointed by Keir Starmer in 2020.
Previously, he had served as a councillor between 2003 and 2010 for the Liberton and Gilmerton ward in Edinburgh.
He won fans across the capital when he led the campaign to save Hearts Football Club from administration as the chairman of the supporters group.
The reshuffle follows the resignation of Rayner, who was found not to have paid enough tax on a flat.
The leader of the House of Commons, Lucy Powell, has also been removed from government.
David Lammy has been appointed as deputy prime minister and justice secretary; Yvette Cooper has become foreign secretary; and Shabana Mahmood becomes home secretary.
What could this mean for the Scottish election?
The issue for Scottish Labour – beyond the immediate shock – is what this means for their election campaign next year.
The campaign is already fully under way. Anas Sarwar makes the same argument at Holyrood every week – that Scotland needs a change of government because the SNP is out of steam and letting down services.
He wants to continue the wave of change and Labour wins we saw in the general election last year.
But this kind of turmoil doesn’t help him to make that case – or indeed argue that Labour can provide a steadier hand on the tiller.
The SNP are seeking to capitalise by saying this is more chaos at Westminster, and that Scotland would be better off independent.
Labour will be hoping that their new-look team can turn things around, and that this huge reshuffle can be the reset they have been scratching around for.
It remains to be seen whether the shockwaves are still reverberating next May.