Labour MSP Jenny Marra to step down at next election

Labour MSP Jenny Marra has announced she will step down at the next election.

Ms Marra, who gave birth to her second child in April, wrote to her local party branch to inform them of her decision not to stand in next year’s Holyrood election.

She said her job as MSP for the North East means she spends too much time away from her family.

Elected in 2011, Ms Marra went on to become the convener of the Public Audit Committee.

According to the Courier, Ms Marra said: “It has been the privilege of my life to represent the people of north east Scotland and to speak on behalf of the citizens of Dundee in many campaigns over my ten years in parliament.”

She added: “I learned so much from my parliamentary role: chairing the audit committee for the past five years, taking the human trafficking bill to the statute book and standing up for women’s sex-based rights in the face of aggressive challenge.

“For all these opportunities I am grateful to the Labour voters in Dundee and north-east Scotland and to local party members for their trust, advice and support.”

In recent months, the MSP has called for Labour leader Richard Leonard to stand down, claiming if the party does not “change now, we risk catastrophe”.

Despite the souring of the relationship between the two, Mr Leonard said: “I’d like to thank Jenny Marra on behalf of Scottish Labour for all the hard work and commitment she has shown to the cause of labour.

“She will be missed in the Scottish Parliament.”

Daniel Johnson, another of the MSPs who called for the leader’s resignation, expressed his sadness at Ms Marra’s decision, saying on Twitter: “I’ve known @JennyMarra since we were both members of @StAndLabour 20 years ago.

“You have political friends and friends who happen to be in politics. The latter are rare and precious.

“So sorry that she is standing down from parliament.”