Murphy Officially Quits

Jim Murphy's resignation as Scottish Labour leader will be confirmed this afternoon.

He refused to stand down at last month's party executive meeting, then announced his resignation the next day with an attack on the party's close ties with trade unions.

It comes after a disastrous defeat in the general election, and with polls indicating they could lose seats at next year's Scottish Parliamentary election.

Interim leader Kezia Dugdale, and Ken Macintosh, who was pipped to the job by Johann Lamont, are in contention to take over.

Meanwhile the Labour left will call for the Scottish Labour Party to relaunch itself as a party determined to combat austerity. They say it is the most effective way of rebuilding support in the wake of the repeated election defeats.

The Campaign for Socialism calls for the October conference to launch a Scottish Labour Party committed to fighting back against the austerity implemented by Westminster and Holyrood and for socialist change.

The changes the CfS is demanding include a call to end support for Trident renewal, a strategy for fighting cuts the Scottish Government are demanding from local government and resistance to privatisation and outsourcing. 
 
In her statement to the conference the Convener of CfS Elaine Smith MSP will say that Scottish Labour needs to work with anti-austerity groups at national and local levels and with anti-fracking protestors, with health campaigns and education campaigns. She will argue that Labour politicians need to support communities and workforces trying to maintain services and livings standards and that Labour Party members need to be on the picket lines, if Labour wants to keep strong Union links.
 
Chair of the Campaign for Socialism Vince Mills said: “If Scottish Labour is serious about rebuilding support we need to get beyond the emphasis on leadership and be seen to be serious about defending working people and challenging the power of the wealthy. This cannot be done only in council chambers or in Holyrood. It has to take place in the workplace and in the communities where austerity imposes the organised humiliation of ordinary people. It has to stop.”