Douglas Alexander ‘looking forward to being Scotland’s voice’

The new Scottish Secretary says he is “looking forward to being Scotland’s voice” in Westminster after his predecessor lost his position in Friday’s reshuffle.

The changes, which followed Angela Rayner’s departure from her role as deputy prime minister, saw Ian Murray’s sacking from his Scottish secretary role, in which he served from July 2024.

His replacement Douglas Alexander spoke on BBC One’s The Sunday Show, where he discussed his new role and his plans.

He told host Martin Geissler: “I’m looking forward to being Scotland’s voice at the Cabinet table, making sure not just that I’m speaking up for Scotland, but that my Cabinet colleagues understand the importance of Scotland to their work.”

Mr Geissler said he had heard Mr Murray was “very angry” about the decision to remove him from his post, and that the Labour Party is “furious” about it.

Mr Alexander said: “Genuinely, I don’t know.”

He added: “The truth is, it’s the manager who chooses the players on the pitch. Sometimes there are more players than you’re able to field.

“That’s not always a problem for every football team, but it is often the case that the manager wants more people on the pitch, and in that sense, these judgments ultimately rest with the Prime Minister.”

He recalled previous reshuffles throughout his time in politics, adding that Ms Rayner’s resignation “wasn’t expected” by him or his peers.

His interview with Mr Geissler drew attention from a number of oppositional parties.

Scottish Conservatives deputy leader Rachael Hamilton said: “Labour are in complete meltdown and their integrity is in tatters after only 14 months in government.

“Ian Murray’s sacking was entirely in keeping with the chaos that surrounds Keir Starmer’s shambolic Government.

“The fact Ian Murray has now had to be shoehorned into a junior ministerial role after such backlash is systematic of the weakness of Keir Starmer and his long list of U-turns.

“The uninspiring appointment of Douglas Alexander, who is nothing more than a yes man for Labour, will mean more of the same broken promises.”

She added: “Just like Ian Murray, he wants to shut down our oil and gas industry and supports inflicting a heartless family farm tax on our agriculture sector.

“The shameful goings-on within Labour expose how disconnected Keir Starmer is with Anas Sarwar, who has blindsided Scottish Labour with this desperate reshuffle.”

Meanwhile, the SNP slammed Mr Alexander for seemingly being unable to explain the democratic route to a second independence referendum.

The party says Mr Geissler asked him a number of times about how Scots can cast their vote again on the issue, and said he failed to give a proper answer each time.

He ultimately concluded: “The Scottish people ultimately can make their choice in the Holyrood elections in 2026.”

SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson said: “Scotland has a right to decide our own future – it really is time for unionist politicians to stop denying democracy, and outline under which circumstances a referendum could take place.

“But what Douglas was right about is that the people of Scotland will have the chance to have their say in 2026 – and as recent opinion polls show, it won’t be a good showing for Labour, if they continue to deny Scottish democracy.”