Labour MP Ian Murray reselected as election candidate despite Unite bid to oust him
2 min read
Labour MP Ian Murray has been reselected to fight the next election, despite a bid by Unite to dump him.
Party members in his Edinburgh South constituency overwhelmingly backed him at a meeting on Thursday night.
Mr Murray was the only Scottish Labour MP to be elected at the 2015 general election.
He also has the biggest majority of any Labour MP north of the Border.
However, his local Unite branch voted on Tuesday night for him to "triggered", meaning he would have had to go up against other candidates in a full reselection contest.
Despite that, the MP received enough support from local members, affiliated groups and every other trade union to guarantee victory.
Speaking afterwards, Mr Murray said it was "a huge honour" to be reselected.
He said: "Representing my home city of Edinburgh is a great privilege, and I have always put this constituency first and foremost.
"I would not have become the MP in 2010 and certainly would not have held on in 2015 and ended up with the largest majority in Scotland in 2017 if it wasn’t for the hard-working and committed local Labour party activists. I am grateful for their continued support and the support of the overwhelming majority of trade unions.
"I am also extremely grateful to the hundreds of people in Edinburgh South and further afield, from all parties and none, who have been in touch in recent days to offer their support and kind words. Thank you – it meant a huge deal.
"My focus remains on standing up for the 80,000 people in my constituency, regardless of how they voted, and working tirelessly to secure a People’s Vote to avoid a devastating Brexit.
"I look forward to standing in the next general election, whenever it comes, and hope the people of Edinburgh South will once again put their trust in me to be their elected representative."
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