Election results: Few friends for Jim Murphy in the wake of Scottish Labour's destruction
In a speech in Glasgow Murphy said Labour hadn’t been radical enough, and had failed to address the new mood of optimism created by the SNP
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Your support makes all the difference.When Jim Murphy was elected leader of Scottish Labour five months ago, he believed he was taking over a political organisation that was under-performing, sub-standard, and in his own words “not good enough”. Whatever he thought he could do to make a difference, he is likely to leave it in worse shape than he found it.
In a speech in Glasgow after one of the worst night’s in his party’s history, he said Labour hadn’t been radical enough, and had failed to address the new mood of optimism created by two SNP-led administrations in Hoyrood and a referendum that had created deep divisions which Labour found difficult to close.
Mr Murphy said the five months he was at the helm of Scottish Labour wasn’t long enough, and he wanted to remain in charge.
That won’t happen. Discontent among the lengthy queue of those who lost their seats on Thursday night, and angry trade unions who bankroll the party, indicate that Mr Murphy is now hanging on and won’t survive for too long.
One former Labour MP told i : “The resignation of Ed Miliband has given Jim cover for now. But the campaign in Scotland was his. He was centre-stage with Ed Miliband and Ed Balls. It was his strategy that failed. That is no reason to be allowed to stay.”
Despite Mr Murphy saying his ambition to become an MSP and First Minister next year remains, some party aides believe those associated with the Blair-Brown era now have a toxicity that can only be defused with a new, younger generation of Labour talent.
One said : “Labour now have the same number of MPs in Scotland as the Tories. This is a what-the-f*** moment. And simply saying, as Jim has, that we need ‘stability’ is wide of the mark.”
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