Cameron Brooks
Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy unveiled his new gender balanced shadow cabinet outside Holyrood yesterday.
He said members would take a “bold and radical” approach to ensure the party was “fighting fit” for the general election in May.
Mr Murphy, MP for East Renfrewshire, said he had taken an office in the Scottish Parliament until he secures a seat in a bid to become the head of a Labour-led Scottish Government in 2016.
The party’s new deputy leader Kezia Dugdale will take part in First Minister’s question time against Nicola Sturgeon on Thursdays.
Mr Murphy, who will divide his time between Scotland and London, said former party leader Johann Lamont did not want a shadow cabinet job and had wished him well for the future.
Reflecting on the gender balance, he said: “The days of decisions being taken by men in back-rooms are at an end.”
The shadow cabinet is as follows
Finance, constitution and economy – Jackie Baillie
Infrastructure, Investment and Cities – Mary Fee
Fair Work, Skills and Training – Neil Findlay
Education and Lifelong Learning – Iain Gray
Health, Wellbeing and Sport – Jenny Marra
Social Justice, Communities and Pensioners Rights – Ken Macintosh
Justice – Hugh Henry
Rural Affairs, Food and Environment – Sarah Boyack
Culture, Europe and External Affairs – Claire Baker
Parliamentary Business Manager – James Kelly
Also attending shadow cabinet will be Chief Whip Neil Bibby and Enterprise spokesman Graeme Pearson.