Shadow Scotland Secretary Curran backs Murphy for Scottish Labour leader

Many senior Scottish Labour figures have stayed above the fray in the contest for Scottish labour leader so far. Acting leader Anas Sarwar, former leader Johann Lamont and former PM Gordon Brown have all opted against nominating any of the candidates or speaking on their behalf. However – with only a few days left in the contest – Shadow Scotland Secretary Margaret Curran has today announced her support for Jim Murphy’s candidacy in an email to Labour supporters. Here’s the email:

Dear Friend,

I wasn’t planning to publicly back a candidate in the Scottish Labour party leadership election. But as this campaign has progressed it’s become increasingly clear how important this decision is for the future of the Scottish Labour Party. 

You can vote online until midday on Wednesday but today is the last day to post off your freepost ballot before the poll closes. That’s why today I cast my vote for Jim Murphy for Scottish Labour Leader.

I wanted to email you to tell you why I believe Jim is the person who can help lead Scottish Labour to victory.

I know about winning and losing elections. 

In 2008, when I lost the Glasgow East by-election to the SNP, I knew we had to get back on our feet quickly and win the seat back.

Not for the sake of it, but because people in the East End of Glasgow needed a Labour MP to fight for them. 

Hard work, reaching out to the community and building a strong Labour team meant we turned a narrow loss into a big win, and I’ve been proud to represent the East End of Glasgow in the UK Parliament since. 

We won Glasgow East with drive, determination and by reaching out to the people who thought that Labour had left them behind.

They’re the same qualities we need to put Scottish Labour back in the lead, and that’s what I’ve seen from Jim during this campaign.

We need someone with ideas for how we can take Scotland forward and that’s exactly what he’s been talking about for the past five weeks.  

From his pledges to put women at the heart of his leadership to his plans to overhaul our education system, his call for a 50p tax to support the poorest and his radical plan to campaign for a wage rise for up to half a million Scots, Jim has been first with the ideas about how we take Scotland forward. 

And he isn’t afraid to take on difficult arguments or front up a campaign. His 100 days tour during the referendum showed exactly why he’s best placed to be leading the fight for Scottish Labour. 

I hope you can join me today in voting for Jim, if you haven’t already, and taking the first step in our fight back for 2015. 

Best wishes

Margaret

Margaret Curran MP

Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland