The Murphy and Boyack review was a report compiled by
Jim Murphy and
Sarah Boyack
Sarah Herriot Boyack (born 16 May 1961) is a Scottish Labour politician who has served as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Lothian region since 2019, and previously from 2011 to 2016. She formerly represented the Edinburgh Cent ...
on the future structure of the
Labour Party in Scotland, in response to the
landslide victory
A landslide victory is an election result in which the victorious candidate or party wins by an overwhelming margin. The term became popular in the 1800s to describe a victory in which the opposition is "buried", similar to the way in which a geol ...
by the
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party (SNP; sco, Scots National Pairty, gd, Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic political party in Scotland. The SNP supports and campaigns for Scottish independence from th ...
in the
2011 Scottish Parliament election
The 2011 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday, 5 May 2011 to elect 129 members to the Scottish Parliament.
The election delivered the first majority government since the opening of Holyrood, a remarkable feat as the Additional M ...
.
The report was presented to party leader
Ed Miliband
Edward Samuel "Ed" Miliband (born 24 December 1969) is a British politician serving as Shadow Secretary of State for Climate Change and Net Zero since 2021. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Doncaster North since 2005. Miliba ...
in the autumn of 2011, and was subject to approval by the
British Labour Party Conference.
The stated aim of the root and branch review was "to achieve an effective, modern Scottish Labour Party, better able to earn the trust of, and deliver for, the people of Scotland."
CLPs had until 9 September to submit final submissions to the review.
In August 2011
Tom Harris expressed an interest in standing in the
election to be the next leader of the Scottish Labour Party, subject to the findings of the Murphy and Boyack review allowing MPs to stand.
Recommendations
*Create, for the first time, an elected
Leader of the Scottish Labour Party[ ]
*Open that position to all Labour parliamentarians elected in Scotland, provided they commit to seek election as an
MSP and
First Minister
A first minister is any of a variety of leaders of government cabinets. The term literally has the same meaning as "prime minister" but is typically chosen to distinguish the office-holder from a superior prime minister. Currently the title of '' ...
*Fully
devolve
Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territories ...
the Scottish Labour Party in all Scottish matters, including the rules for the Scottish Leadership election, local government processes and selections, and Scottish Parliament selections
*Begin the process of restructuring
local parties in Scotland on the basis of
Scottish Parliament seats, not Westminster seats
*Establish a political strategy board, meeting weekly, to develop and co-ordinate political strategy with the Leader, Shadow
Secretary of State, the leader of the
COSLA
The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) is the national association of Scottish councils and acts as an employers' association for its 32 member authorities.
History
Formed in 1975, COSLA exists to promote and protect the inter ...
Labour Group, a representative of the
MEPs
A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament.
When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, it ...
, the party chair, and the Scottish General Secretary
*Establish a new political base in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
References
External links
Review pageat the official Scottish Labour website
Terms of Reference: Scottish Review Processat the official Scottish Labour website
Consultation guideat the official Scottish Labour website
2011 in Scotland
Scottish Labour
2011 in British politics
Labour Party (UK) reports
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