Jim Murphy

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.

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.

He was educated at St Louise's Primary School, followed by Bellarmine Secondary School in Glasgow until 1980, when, after his father became unemployed, he and his family emigrated to Cape Town, South Africa.

In Cape Town, he attended Milnerton High School.

In 1985, Murphy returned to Scotland aged 17 to avoid service in the South African Defence Force.

He studied Politics and European Law at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow but failed to graduate.

During sabbaticals from his studies, he held the posts of President of both NUS Scotland and NUS.

He dropped out of university to become the youngest Scottish MP at the age of 29.

During his time at university, Murphy was elected President of the Scottish National Union of Students, one of the "special region" organisations within the NUS, serving from 1992 until 1994.

Murphy then took a further sabbatical from university in 1994 to serve as the President of the National Union of Students, an office which he held from 1994 to 1996, during which time he was a member of Labour Students.

As NUS President, he also served, ex officio, as a Director of Endsleigh Insurance from 1994 to 1996.

In 1995, the NUS dropped its opposition to the abolition of the student grant.

Murphy was condemned by a House of Commons early day motion, introduced by Ken Livingstone and signed by 13 other Labour MPs, for "intolerant and dictatorial behaviour" regarding Clive Lewis' suspension.

He was elected for a second term as NUS President, serving until 1996.

He then became special projects manager of the Scottish Labour Party.

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.

Murphy was selected to stand as the Labour Party candidate in the seat of Eastwood at the 1997 general election.

He was elected as MP for Eastwood on 1 May 1997, winning the formerly safe Conservative seat with a majority of 3,236 as Scotland's youngest MP.

From 1999 to 2001, Murphy was a member of the Public Accounts Select Committee, which oversees public expenditure.

In February 2001, he was appointed as the Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Helen Liddell, the Secretary of State for Scotland, after the resignation of Frank Roy over the Carfin Grotto fiasco.

Upon becoming a PPS, he stood down from his previous other roles as the Vice Chair of the Labour Party's Treasury, Northern Ireland and Culture, Media and Sport Committees.

At the 2001 general election he was re-elected as MP for Eastwood, with an increased majority of 9,141.

In late 2001 he suggested bombing the poppy fields of Afghanistan to try to destroy the opium crop.

He was the Chair of the Labour Friends of Israel from 2001 to 2002.

In June 2002, he was appointed as a government whip, with responsibility for the Scotland Office and the Northern Ireland Office.

His responsibilities were expanded in November 2002 to include the Department of Trade and Industry, and again in June 2003 to cover the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development.

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.

For the 2005 general election, the Eastwood constituency was renamed East Renfrewshire, although the boundaries were unchanged.

Murphy was re-elected with a majority of 6,657 and subsequently promoted to ministerial rank as the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office.

His responsibilities in that role included the promotion of e-government, better regulation and modernising public services.

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.

Murphy was born in Glasgow and raised in a flat in Arden.