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Pressure heats up on Murphy to go

PRESSURE from trade unions and activists was rising on Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy to quit his post before the party’s ruling Scottish executive committee meeting this morning.

The demands follow Labour’s catastrophic result in the general election on May 7 when the party was reduced to a single MP in Scotland, with Mr Murphy himself losing his own seat.

Communications union CWU was the latest to call for Mr Murphy’s resignation yesterday.

A CWU spokesperson said: “It is clear that the Labour Party needs to rebuild in Scotland and CWU believes that will be done most effectively under new leadership.”

Unite also reiterated its demand on Mr Murphy to resign with the union’s Scottish secretary Pat Rafferty saying it was “the only decent thing that Jim can do now.”

The union called for deputy leader Kezia Dugdale to take over and demanded the “rebuilding and reforming of Scottish Labour so it can avoid a constituency wipe-out in 2016.”

Mr Rafferty said these were “extraordinary times for Scottish Labour requiring urgent measures, which is why, as the party’s rules permit, Kezia should now step up.”

Rail union Aslef and Unison Scotland’s Labour Link have also lined up against Murphy’s continued leadership.

Leading Labour MSPs Alex Rowley and Neil Findlay have resigned Scottish Parliament shadow cabinet posts to call for Mr Murphy to quit.

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