The Opposition Labour party has chosen former cabinet minister Jim Murphy as its leader in Scotland where he will have the job of trying to hold on to the seats the party needs to win a British national election due in May.

The former secretary of state for Scotland, who won 55 per cent of the vote, needs to rejuvenate the Scottish Labour party which faces a tough challenge from Nationalists who could potentially derail Labour’s chances of winning a majority in the polls next year.

The Scottish Labour party faces a tough challenge from nationalists

Murphy, who was the favourite to win, became well-known for his soap box brand of pro-union patriotism during September’s referendum on independence.

His public profile rose during the Scottish referendum campaign when he toured the streets of 100 Scottish towns, hosting debates standing on top of an upturned crate of Irn-Bru, the bright orange fizzy drink popularly referred to as ‘Scotland’s other national drink’.

Speaking after yesterday’s result, Murphy tried to reach out to the 45 per cent of Scots who had backed the Scottish National Party’s campaign for independence from Britain, which included many Labour supporters tempted away by the nationalists.