Miliband congratulations new Scottish labour leadership team Murphy and Dugdale

Jim Murphy and Kezia Dugdale were elected Leader and Deputy Leader of Scottish Labour this morning, and will be getting straight to work in their new roles. Ed Miliband has congratulated the winning candidates, praising Murphy’s qualities as a fighter and a leader:

“Congratulations to Jim Murphy on becoming Leader of the Scottish Labour Party and Kezia Dugdale on becoming Deputy Leader of the Scottish Labour Party.

“I look forward to working with both Jim and Kezia to secure a Labour government in Westminster next year and Holyrood the year after.

“I also pay tribute to Neil Findlay, Sarah Boyack and Katy Clark – they fought strong campaigns and will be key campaigners for Scottish Labour in the run up to the General Election and Scottish Parliamentary Elections.

“Jim showed in the referendum campaign that he is a fighter. He showed in the leadership campaign that he is a leader. I am going to be standing shoulder to shoulder with Jim in the campaign to get David Cameron out at the General Election.

“Jim has already shown how he will use increased powers for the Scottish Parliament for a new 50p top income tax rate for people earning more than £150,000.

“Together we will show how a Labour government can change the lives of working people in Scotland.

“The fight to get the Tories out is now on. It is a fight we intend to win.”

Meanwhile, Scottish trade unions (the affiliates section went to Findlay and Clark rather than Murphy and Dugdale) have also been responding to the result. Community (one of the few unions who backed Murphy and Dugdale) put out this statement from Assistant General Secretary (and former MSP) John Park:

“Today the Scottish Labour Party has taken a big step forward. Party members have made it very clear that they believe in Jim Murphy’s vision for our party. We were clear throughout the campaign that Jim and Kezia were by far the best choice for trade unionists and all of Scotland’s working people. They have a difficult task ahead and it is vital that now the election is over, the whole party unites around our new leaders. The trade unions have a vital role to play to helping elect a Scottish Labour government and Community will be doing everything we can to make Jim Murphy the next First Minister of Scotland.”

Meanwhile Pat Rafferty, secretary of Unite Scotland, who backed Findlay (and who have been critical of Murphy) said:

“Neil Findlay offered a genuine alternative to the politics and policies that led to consecutive electoral defeats for Scottish Labour and the haemorrhaging thousands of members. Unite was proud to support Neil and his share of the vote is enough to show his popular policies have resonance among working people in Scotland. Arguably, Jim Murphy recognised this appetite for real change during the hustings, because as the campaign progressed his arguments became bolder on issues like taxation and a living wage. Jim now needs to turn words into action if he wants to start the process of re-building Scottish Labour.”