Overview
- Murray said he has received no explanation for his September removal despite asking several times, speaking out in an interview with Holyrood magazine.
- He called the decision humiliating and said his wife was "absolutely f****** furious" about the demotion.
- Douglas Alexander replaced him at the Scotland Office during a reshuffle that followed Angela Rayner’s resignation over an unpaid stamp duty bill.
- Murray said he took five hours to decide whether to accept new posts at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, which include major responsibilities for the government’s digital ID plans.
- An unnamed cabinet minister told the Independent the ousting was a mistake that damaged morale, as Labour refines its strategy in Scotland ahead of next May’s Holyrood election.