General Election 2024: Labour's Ian Murray holds Edinburgh South seat

Ian Murray addressed the crowd at the Edinburgh count, held at the Royal Highland Centre, after he held the seat with almost 25,000 votes.

Transcript

00:00We're going to need a bigger boat. Paul, thank you very much to you and congratulations on

00:12being Chief Executive of the City of Edinburgh Council. Thank you to the police, all the

00:17council teams, council staff and all that have helped make this run smoothly here in

00:22Edinburgh. Thank you to all the other candidates who have stood in the election for Edinburgh

00:26South. We obviously have political disagreements but anyone who puts themselves forward on

00:30the ballot paper and asks the community to support them deserves our huge respect. Thank

00:35you to them. And thank you to my brilliant team in Edinburgh South. I learned over the

00:48years that surrounding yourself with the very best is how you succeed and they are the very

00:54best, especially my agent, Sheila Gilmore, my campaign manager, Albie Biltz, Saurabh,

01:00Pat Sinclair, Justin, Ian, Kevin and everyone who's helped me over the last 14 years. And

01:08a special thank you to my wife, Marion, who makes me the luckiest man in the world. This

01:15job relies on the huge support of the voters and their support has been unwavering and

01:22I thank you for that. I've had the honour of representing Edinburgh South for 14 years

01:27now and the reason why I've had that privilege is the brilliant team who've supported me

01:32in the work in the constituency. People in Edinburgh South and across Scotland are crying

01:36out for a change of government. They might get an answer tonight and after 14 years,

01:41we're on the verge of replacing this Conservative government with a Labour government.

01:47So, from my own personal view, the greatest time in this country we've ever had,

01:57the opportunity to serve, that is all we ask. John Smith said those words 30 years ago.

02:03For the past six weeks, we've asked the Scottish people to give us the chance to

02:07sit. Whether you have voted Labour all your life, deciding you were the best choice this time,

02:12or you voted Labour for the very first time, we will work hard and, with humility,

02:17deliver the trust you placed in us. Because Keir Starmer and Nath Starmer have worked hard to

02:22change our Labour council and put it back in the service of local people and not to

02:27lose the money the Scottish people need. For much of my time as MP for Edinburgh South,

02:36I've been Scotland's sole Labour MP. It's been sometimes lonely, often hard,

02:42but always hopeful. Hopeful that one day the Labour values will again be recognised as Scotland's

02:49values. The values of ordinary Scots that put this wonderful country at first.

02:54Being the sole Labour MP ends tonight with a bang.

02:59The voters have given you and the Labour Party the future privilege of the opportunity to serve.

03:12I can assure you that's the change Scotland needs and we certainly won't let you down.