Ian Murray, the former Scottish Secretary, has launched a stinging critique of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, branding his removal from the cabinet as a "humiliating" act for which he has still received no explanation.
A Candid Critique of Cabinet Reshuffle
In a remarkably frank interview, Murray disclosed that he wrestled with the decision to accept a demotion to the role of technology minister, a position split between the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. He stated it took him five hours to decide whether to remain in government at all.
The MP expressed deep frustration at the handling of the September reshuffle, which saw him replaced by the recently returned former foreign secretary, Douglas Alexander. Murray insisted that Number 10 had offered him no recognition for his work in the Scotland Office and failed to justify why he was moved.
'Massively Under Appreciated' and Public Humiliation
Murray revealed that his wife was "absolutely fucking furious" about his demotion, believing he had been "massively under appreciated". She was reportedly angered by the immense balancing act he performed between family life, parliamentary duties, representing his constituency, and extensive travel across Scotland, all without acknowledgment from the Prime Minister.
"For me, the hardest part was the complete lack of any sort of recognition for doing a half-decent job," Murray said. "The second hardest bit is having no explanation of why I was sacked, and as we sit here today, I still don't have that despite me asking on a number of occasions."
He added pointedly: "And the third bit is that I didn't think I deserved the public humiliation of it all. I genuinely don't know why it happened and that feels like an unfair gap."
Unanswered Questions and New Responsibilities
Despite his grievances, Murray will now serve as technology minister, where he will take on significant responsibility for the government's flagship digital ID card initiative. This new role has left him questioning the logic behind the Prime Minister's decision.
"My big questions about coming back into government were, why was it not offered to me at the time – and it wasn't – why has the decision now been made and why?" he queried. "If I'm not good enough for the Scotland Office, why am I now number two in two major UK departments?"
Murray's public airing of discontent underscores the lingering unhappiness among several ministers and former ministers following Starmer's September reshuffle. The changes were partly designed to make way for new MPs to join the government, but have evidently left some feeling sidelined and poorly treated.
