Blair McDougall: Ian Murray is an 'absolute hero' who was our Rorke's Drift moment
Mr McDougall said he was glad his colleague was still in government, following his sacking as Scottish Secretary
A Labour minister has hailed Ian Murray as an "absolute hero" following Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's decision to sack him as Scottish Secretary.
Blair McDougall, who was appointed a minister in the Department for Business and Trade earlier this month, said Mr Murray was a campaigner and a fighter.
He compared Mr Murray's time as Scotland's only Labour MP to the Battle of Rorke's Drift, where just over 150 British and colonial troops repelled thousands of Zulu warriors.
Sir Keir’s decision to sack Mr Murray and replace him with Douglas Alexander as part of a major reshuffle earlier this month sparked internal anger within Labour.
Following this backlash, Mr Murray was made a junior minister jointly in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
Asked what he made of Mr Murray's sacking, Mr McDougall said: "I'm glad he's still in government. Ian's a hero. He's an absolute hero to all of us. He was our Rorke's Drift moment for a while."
He added: "He's a campaigner and he's a fighter, and I'm delighted he's still in government."
Asked if he shared the anger about how his colleague was treated, Mr McDougall said: "I think if he hadn't been in government, we all would have felt he would have been a loss to the government, but he's not. He's still there contributing."
Elsewhere, Mr McDougall, who is the minister for small business and economic transformation, said he retained “100 per cent” confidence in Sir Keir despite a difficult few weeks for the UK Labour government.
The East Renfrewshire MP made the comments to journalists while in Edinburgh on Thursday attending a business roadshow, where he delivered a keynote address.
“Scottish businesses are known for providing world-class financial and professional services, and this roadshow will be an excellent opportunity to showcase that talent and connect businesses with new international partners, opening the door to new markets,” he said.
Mr Murray, who represents Edinburgh South, was Labour’s sole MP in Scotland from 2015 to 2017 and from 2019 to 2023. His sacking as Scottish Secretary earlier this month came as a shock to many colleagues. Labour peer George Foulkes called it a “disgraceful decision”.
In a statement posted to social media at the time, Mr Murray said serving as Scottish Secretary had been the honour of his life.
“I am hugely disappointed to be leaving government, with so much done and so much more to do, but I now look forward to spending a little more time with my wife and two beautiful girls, while continuing to serve the wonderful people of Edinburgh South,” he wrote.
Mr Murray added: “I wish my former Cabinet colleagues, and those now joining, well. Every single one of them are in politics for the right reasons and are good people who I am certain will do great things for our country.”
Mr Alexander previously served as Scottish Secretary 18 years ago under Tony Blair, and was the international development secretary under Gordon Brown. In 2015, he famously lost his seat to the SNP’s Mhairi Black when she was just 20 years old.
He returned to frontline politics as the MP for Lothian East last year.
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