Jim Murphy resigns as Scottish Labour leader

Mr Murphy, recently ousted as East Renfrewshire MP, said he will resign next month – giving him time to prepare the ground for his successor and leave a stronger party rather than leading abruptly.

He will resign despite winning a vote of no confidence with a tight vote in his favour – 17 votes to 14.

Next month Mr Murphy will table a report to Scottish Labour’s executive committee proposing reforms for the party, and will tender his resignation at the same time.

“This was a terrible election defeat both north and south of the border,” he said. “I’m under no illusion as to how big our defeat was or how big our challenges are.

“But I believe the leader of this party has a bigger responsibility to party members than to leave without a plan for those who follow in the future.”

‘Destructive behaviour’

Mr Murphy also took the opportunity to criticise Len McCluskey, leader of the trade union Unite. Unite had earlier called on Mr Murphy to “do the decent thing” and resign, and Mr McCluskey blamed Scottish Labour for losing in Scotland and for handing the Tories national victory.

“The Labour Party’s problem is not the link with trade unions, or even the relationship with Unite members – far from it,” Mr Murphy said. “It is the destructive behaviour of one high profile trade unionist.

“One of the things about stepping down is that you can say things in public that so many people in the Labour Party only say in private.

“So whether it is in Scotland or in the contest to come in the UK, we cannot have our leaders selected or deselected by the grudges and grievances of one prominent man.

“The leader of the Scottish Labour Party doesn’t serve at the grace of Len McCluskey, and the next leader of the UK Labour Party should not be picked by Len McCluskey.”

Labour candidates

South of the border and the candidates for the UK Labour Party leader pitched their ideas for a Britain under Labour leadership at the annual Progress conference in London.

Andy Burnham, the current favourite for Labour’s top job, said the party needs to “speak to the aspirations for everyone” but needed to address three issues first.

“Number one: economic credibility. We have to get that back,” he said. “Number two: our relationship with business. We must be a pro-business party.

“But number three, we have to address immigration,. We have to address that in a credible and convincing way.”

Yvette Cooper said Labour has to “unite communities” and “defend that core Labour value that we are stronger when we stand together than when we leave people to sink or swim alone.”

But, she said, we can only do that with a strong economy.

Hear the comments from all Labour Party leadership candidates (and Tristram Hunt, who is yet to announce his intentions) in the video below.