'Rumours over Ian Murray sacking are tittle-tattle', Anas Sarwar insists

Anas Sarwar has called rumours that Ian Murray lost his job over missing a Labour away day to discuss the upcoming Holyrood election “tittle-tattle”.

The Prime Minister sacked Murray as Scottish secretary during a major government reshuffle last week, replacing him with Douglas Alexander.

Speaking to STV News on Wednesday, the Scottish Labour leader refused to confirm or deny any involvement in Starmer’s decision.

Sarwar said the decisions on the cabinet were “for the Prime Minister”.

Rumours have circulated online that Murray was sacked, in part because he did not attend a Scottish Labour away day at the Stirling Court hotel in August.

When asked about the rumours, Sarwar said he was “not going to get into tittle-tattle [he] has seen online”.

“There are bigger judgements that are made rather than individual things like that,” the Scottish Labour leader said.

“Ian Murray was doing a great job, and I’ve got no doubt that Douglas Alexander will continue that hard work.”

In a statement, Murray said he was “hugely disappointed to be leaving government, with so much done and so much more to do”.

Speaking the day after being appointed to his new role, Alexander said he was “looking forward to being Scotland’s voice at the Cabinet table”.

He added: “Making sure not just that I’m speaking up for Scotland, but that my Cabinet colleagues understand the importance of Scotland to their work

Asked about reports that Murray was “very angry” about the decision to remove him from his post, Alexander told BBC One’s The Sunday Show: “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.”