Labour veteran Alexander says return to Scotland Office a ‘real honour’

Douglas Alexander has described his reappointment as Scottish Secretary, almost 20 years on from his first time in the role, as a “real honour”.

The Lothian East MP, who was trade minister before his move to the Scotland Office, replaces Ian Murray, who was sacked as part of the Prime Minister’s reshuffle.

Murray, the long serving MP for Edinburgh South MP, said he was “hugely disappointed” to lose his place in government.

Labour veteran Alexander previously served a stint as Scottish Secretary from 2006 to 2007 under Tony Blair’s premiership.

First elected to Parliament as part of the New Labour landslide of 1997, Alexander stepped away from front line politics in 2015 when he lost his seat in Paisley and Renfrewshire South to the SNP’s Mhairi Black, who was then only 20.

He returned to Parliament last year, winning the Lothian East seat as Labour secured a return to power at Westminster to the first time in 14 years.

Commenting on his return to the Scotland Office, Alexander said: “It’s a real honour to have been appointed Secretary of State for Scotland by Sir Keir Starmer.

“I look forward to playing a key role in delivering the UK Government’s plan for change by boosting economic growth, putting more money in pockets and making life better for people in Scotland.

“There is a huge amount to be done, and I’m very much looking forward to making sure that Scotland continues to be at the very centre of the Government’s work – including on our drive to clean power and ensuring our country’s security.”

The switch came as the Prime Minister changed his top team after Angela Rayner’s resignation as deputy prime minister, housing secretary, and deputy leader of the Labour Party.

Murray, who has been the MP for Edinburgh South since 2010, was appointed as Scottish Secretary after Labour’s general election victory last year.

He had held the shadow role in opposition after being left as the only Labour MP in Scotland after both the 2015 and 2019 elections.

Leaving office, Murray said it had been the “honour of my life” to serve as the first Labour Scottish Secretary for 14 years.

In a letter posted on X, he said: “After many years as the sole Scottish Labour MP 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.”

He said, in his time in the job, he had “worked tirelessly” to “put Scotland at the heart of the UK Government”, as he vowed he would continue to support the Prime Minister and the Government from the backbenches.

Murray continued: “I am hugely disappointed to be leaving Government with so much done and so much more to do, but I now look forward to spending a little more time with my wife and two beautiful girls.”

He added: “I will be forever proud of having helped deliver 37 Scottish Labour MPs last year.

“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.”

Murray being Labour’s only MP in Scotland, after the 2015 and 2019 general elections, led to the joke that the country boasted more pandas than Labour MPs – Edinburgh Zoo being home to two of the endangered creatures at the time.

However, SNP MP Stephen Gethins said the sacking is “the latest sign of Labour Party acrimony”.

He said: “Ian Murray’s sacking is the latest sign of Labour Party acrimony. It is no wonder they have slumped 20 points behind the SNP in Scotland, when they are fighting like rats in a sack while failing to lift a finger to help families.

“Voters will not forgive the Labour Party for taking the UK from bad to worse and breaking its promise to deliver change.

“We were told things would get better but, under the Labour Party, food and energy bills are rising, poverty is at record levels, unemployment is at a four-year high, the economy has been downgraded, public finances are deteriorating – and the vast majority of people think the UK is in a bad state and getting worse.”