Speakers

Speaker profile

Ian Murray was appointed Secretary of State for Scotland on 5 July 2024. He has been the Member of Parliament for Edinburgh South continuously since May 2010.

Background

Ian was born and raised in the Wester Hailes area of Edinburgh. He was educated at the Wester Hailes Education Centre, and read Social Policy and Law at the University of Edinburgh.

Career Before Politics

After university, Ian worked in finance at Aegon, before joining an arts-based internet TV station as the Operations Director. Following the collapse of the company, Ian started a number of successful events and hospitality businesses.

Political Career

Ian was first elected to public office in 2003 when he won a local council seat in Edinburgh. Seven years later, he was elected as the MP for Edinburgh South, and was the only Labour MP in Scotland to retain their seat in the 2015 and 2019 General Elections.

Ian served as the Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland from 2015-2016 and from 2020-2024. He has also been the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, the Shadow Minister for Employee Relations, Consumer and Postal Affairs, and the Shadow Minister for Trade and Investment.

Ian has served on the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee (2010-2012) and Foreign Affairs Select Committee (2016-2020).

Personal Life

Ian lives in Edinburgh, and Balham when in London, with his wife Mariam and young daughter Zola. He is a keen supporter of Hearts of Midlothian F.C. fan, having previously been the club’s director.

He won parliamentary book of the year in 2020 for “This is Our Story: How the Fans Kept Their Hearts Beating” about the saving of Hearts F.C.