Jim Murphy

Jim Murphy
Official portrait, c. 2008
Leader of the Scottish Labour Party
In office
13 December 2014 – 13 June 2015
DeputyKezia Dugdale
UK party leaderEd Miliband
Harriet Harman (Acting)
Holyrood leaderKezia Dugdale
Preceded byJohann Lamont
Succeeded byKezia Dugdale
Secretary of State for Scotland
In office
3 October 2008 – 11 May 2010
Prime MinisterGordon Brown
Preceded byDes Browne
Succeeded byDanny Alexander
Shadow Secretary of State for International Development
In office
7 October 2013 – 2 November 2014
LeaderEd Miliband
Preceded byIvan Lewis
Succeeded byMary Creagh
Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
In office
8 October 2010 – 7 October 2013
LeaderEd Miliband
Preceded byBob Ainsworth
Succeeded byVernon Coaker
Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
In office
11 May 2010 – 8 October 2010
LeaderHarriet Harman (Acting)
Preceded byDavid Mundell
Succeeded byAnn McKechin
Junior ministerial offices
Minister of State for Europe
In office
28 June 2007 – 3 October 2008
Prime MinisterGordon Brown
Preceded byGeoff Hoon
Succeeded byCaroline Flint
Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform
In office
5 May 2006 – 28 June 2007
Prime MinisterTony Blair
Preceded byJane Kennedy
Succeeded byCaroline Flint
Minister for the Cabinet Office
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Acting
2 November 2005 – 5 May 2006
Prime MinisterTony Blair
Preceded byJohn Hutton
Succeeded byHilary Armstrong
Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
In office
13 June 2003 – 10 May 2005
Prime MinisterTony Blair
Preceded byIan Pearson
Succeeded byVernon Coaker
Further offices held
Member of Parliament
for East Renfrewshire
Eastwood (1997–2005)
In office
1 May 1997 – 30 March 2015
Preceded byAllan Stewart
Succeeded byKirsten Oswald
46th President of the National Union of Students
In office
1994–1996
Preceded byLorna Fitzsimons
Succeeded byDouglas Trainer
Personal details
Born
James Francis Murphy

(1967-08-23) 23 August 1967 (age 57)
Glasgow, Scotland
Political partyLabour
SpouseClaire Murphy
Children3

James Francis Murphy (born 23 August 1967) is a Scottish former politician who served as Leader of the Scottish Labour Party from 2014 to 2015 and Secretary of State for Scotland from 2008 to 2010. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for East Renfrewshire, formerly Eastwood, from 1997 to 2015. He identifies as a social democrat and has expressed support for a foreign policy of Western interventionism. He has been described as being on the political right of the Labour Party.

Born in Glasgow, Murphy's family moved to South Africa in 1980. After returning to Scotland, he became involved in student politics and became Scotland's youngest MP at the age of 29. Murphy served in the New Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown as Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office from 2005 to 2006, Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform from 2006 to 2007 and Minister of State for Europe from 2007 to 2008. From 2008 to 2010, Murphy served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Scotland. After Labour lost the 2010 general election, Murphy served in Ed Miliband's Shadow cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Defence and Shadow Secretary of State for International Development.

Following Johann Lamont's resignation, Murphy was elected Leader of the Scottish Labour Party in the 2014 leadership election. He led Scottish Labour into the 2015 general election, in which he said, "I will not lose a single seat to the SNP" before the party lost 40 of its 41 seats during a landslide victory for the Scottish National Party (SNP), who won 56 of the 59 seats in Scotland. After surviving a vote of no confidence, Murphy announced in May 2015 he would step down as leader that June. The subsequent leadership contest was won by his deputy leader Kezia Dugdale.