Jim Murphy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jim Murphy
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Official portrait, c. 2008
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| Leader of the Scottish Labour Party | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 13 December 2014 – 13 June 2015 |
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| Deputy | Kezia Dugdale | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UK party leader | Ed Miliband Harriet Harman (Acting) |
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| Holyrood leader | Kezia Dugdale | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Johann Lamont | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Kezia Dugdale | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Secretary of State for Scotland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 3 October 2008 – 11 May 2010 |
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| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Des Browne | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Danny Alexander | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born |
James Francis Murphy
23 August 1967 Glasgow, Scotland |
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| Political party | Labour | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Claire Murphy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
James Francis Murphy (born 23 August 1967) is a Scottish former politician. He was the Leader of the Scottish Labour Party from 2014 to 2015. He also served as Secretary of State for Scotland from 2008 to 2010.
Murphy was a Member of Parliament (MP) for East Renfrewshire (and earlier Eastwood) from 1997 to 2015. He is known for supporting social democracy, which is a political idea focused on fairness and equality. He also believes in Western countries helping out in international issues.
Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Jim Murphy's family moved to South Africa in 1980. After returning to Scotland, he became very active in student politics. He became Scotland's youngest MP at just 29 years old. He held several important roles in the governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
After the Labour Party lost the 2010 general election, Murphy worked in the Shadow cabinet for Ed Miliband. He was the Shadow Secretary of State for Defence and for International Development. In 2014, he was elected leader of the Scottish Labour Party. He led the party into the 2015 general election. However, the party lost many seats in Scotland. He stepped down as leader in June 2015.
Contents
Early Life and Student Politics
Jim Murphy was born in Glasgow, Scotland. He grew up in a flat in Arden. He went to St Louise's Primary School and Bellarmine Secondary School. In 1980, when he was 13, his family moved to Cape Town, South Africa. This was during the time of apartheid, a system of unfair racial separation.
In 1985, at age 17, Murphy returned to Scotland. He wanted to avoid serving in the South African army. He started studying Politics and European Law at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. He did not finish his degree.
While at university, he became very involved in student politics. He was elected President of NUS Scotland from 1992 to 1994. Then, he became the President of the National Union of Students (NUS) for the whole UK. He held this role from 1994 to 1996. The NUS works to represent students' interests.
Starting His Political Career
In 1997, Jim Murphy was chosen to run as a candidate for the Labour Party. He stood for the Eastwood area in the general election. On 1 May 1997, he won the election. He became the MP for Eastwood, which had been a safe seat for the Conservative Party. At 29, he was the youngest Scottish MP.
From 1999 to 2001, Murphy was part of the Public Accounts Select Committee. This group checks how the government spends public money. In 2001, he became a Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Secretary of State for Scotland. A PPS helps a government minister.
In the 2001 general election, he was re-elected as MP for Eastwood. His winning margin increased. In 2002, he became a government whip. Whips help make sure that members of their party vote in line with the party's policies. His responsibilities grew to include different government departments.
Working in Government
Junior Minister Roles
For the 2005 general election, his constituency was renamed East Renfrewshire. He was re-elected and then became a minister. He was the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office. In this role, he worked on making government services better and more modern.
In May 2006, he was promoted to Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform. He worked on new laws to help people find jobs and support those needing welfare. In June 2007, he became the Minister of State for Europe. He helped with the Treaty of Lisbon, which aimed to make the European Union work more efficiently and democratically.
Secretary of State for Scotland
In October 2008, Prime Minister Gordon Brown appointed Jim Murphy to the Cabinet. He became the Secretary of State for Scotland. This meant he was a senior minister responsible for Scottish affairs. He was also asked to help the Labour Party keep its seats in Scotland. In 2009, he apologized for a scandal about politicians' expenses. He also helped organize Pope Benedict's visit to the UK in 2010. This was the first time a Pope made a state visit to the UK.
In the Shadow Cabinet
Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
After the 2010 general election, the Labour Party lost power. Jim Murphy was then appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Defence in October 2010. In this role, he was the main spokesperson for the Labour Party on defence matters. He criticized plans to boycott Israel, saying Labour's policy was against boycotts. He also spoke about the important role of NATO in international conflicts.
Murphy also helped lead a review of the Labour Party in Scotland in 2011. This was after the Scottish National Party won a lot of seats in the Scottish Parliament election.
Shadow Secretary of State for International Development
In 2013, Jim Murphy became the Shadow Secretary of State for International Development. In this role, he focused on global aid and development issues. He said that female soldiers should be allowed to serve in combat roles. In March 2014, he criticized FIFA for the working conditions of people building stadiums for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Scottish Independence Referendum
During the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, Jim Murphy became well-known for his role in the "No" campaign. This campaign wanted Scotland to remain part of the UK. He went on a "100 Streets in 100 Days" tour, speaking to people across Scotland.
During his tour, he faced some protests. In one event, an egg was thrown at him. He said this was an organized attempt to stop him from speaking. The person who threw the egg later apologized. For his work in the "No" campaign, Murphy received an award for Campaigner of the Year.
Leading the Scottish Labour Party
Becoming Leader
After Johann Lamont resigned, Jim Murphy decided to run for Leader of the Scottish Labour Party. He said he wanted to help the Labour Party win elections in Scotland again. On 13 December 2014, he was elected as the new leader. He won with 56% of the votes.
In February 2015, Murphy made a claim about cancelled NHS operations in Scotland. It turned out his claim was based on a misunderstanding of the numbers. He had to remove a video and social media post about it. In March 2015, he confirmed that university tuition would remain free for Scottish students.
The 2015 General Election
When he became leader, Jim Murphy said Labour would not lose any MPs to the Scottish National Party (SNP) in the 2015 general election. He ran again for his own seat in East Renfrewshire. However, on 7 May 2015, the SNP won a huge victory in Scotland. They won 56 out of 59 Scottish seats. Scottish Labour lost 40 of its 41 seats. Jim Murphy lost his own seat to the SNP's Kirsten Oswald.
After this big loss, many people called for him to resign. He survived a vote of no confidence from his party members. However, on 16 May 2015, he announced he would step down as leader in June. He said that Scottish Labour needed to modernize. His deputy leader, Kezia Dugdale, later became the new leader.
Political Beliefs
Jim Murphy describes himself as a social democrat. This means he believes in a fair society where everyone has equal chances. He has also been called a "Blairite," which refers to supporters of former Prime Minister Tony Blair's political ideas.
He is part of the Political Council of the Henry Jackson Society. This group believes in countries like the UK being involved in international issues, sometimes using military action. As Shadow Defence Secretary, he spoke about the UK needing to stay involved in global defence.
Life After Parliament
After leaving Parliament, Jim Murphy started a political consulting firm called Arden Strategies. He also became an advisor for a non-profit group called Crisis Management Initiative (CMI). This group works on solving conflicts in different parts of the world.
In 2016, he became an advisor to former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Personal Life
Jim Murphy is married to Claire Murphy. They have three children named Cara, Matthew, and Daniel. He used to be the captain of the Parliamentary Football Team. He is a practicing Roman Catholic. He is also a vegetarian. He wrote a book called The Ten Football Matches That Changed The World...And The One That Didn't.
