Who will be Scottish Secretary when Andy Burnham becomes PM?
Andy Burnham could be set to change Scotland’s representative in cabinet.
When Andy Burnham becomes Prime Minister on Monday, he will appoint his new cabinet.
A few changes are expected in senior positions, while some reports have suggested there could be a new Scottish Secretary.
Douglas Alexander
Douglas Alexander is the current Scottish Secretary. He is the only Scottish Labour MP who served in government during the New Labour years, having held several cabinet roles.
After 14 years out of parliament he returned in 2024 and went straight into government.
He replaced Ian Murray as Scottish Secretary in September, in a move which caused outrage among the Scottish Labour MPs.
Many MPs are also frustrated at the Lothian East MP’s running of Scottish Labour’s disastrous Scottish election campaign.
Michael Shanks
Michael Shanks has made a strong impression in Westminster since winning the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election in October 2023.
He became an energy minister straight after the general election and has been widely praised for his work in government.
Although he is the second-longest serving Scottish Labour MP, it would be a big jump for someone who has not been in the Commons for three years to be given a cabinet position.
One source said that Mr Shanks was an “obvious” name who was being cited by lots of MPs.
Martin McCluskey
Inverclyde and West Renfrewshire MP Martin McCluskey was only elected in 2024, but has served in government ever since.
He was initially working closely with the Scotland Office as the whip for the Scottish Labour MPs, before becoming a junior energy minister in 2025.
Before becoming an MP, Mr McCluskey worked as an adviser to shadow Scottish secretaries Margaret Curran and Ian Murray. He was later Scottish Labour’s political director.
One MP said they believed Mr McCluskey would do an “excellent” job as Scottish Secretary.
Kirsty McNeill
A former special adviser to Gordon Brown when he was Prime Minister, Kirsty McNeill was also first elected in 2024.
Like Mr McCluskey, she is also a previous president of Oxford University Student Union.
As the Midlothian MP is currently a junior minister in the Scotland Office, she will no doubt be a candidate for promotion if Mr Alexander moves on.
But one source said she could be “wasted” in the department.
Blair McDougall
Before becoming an MP, Blair McDougall was best known for heading up the Better Together campaign during the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.
He was elected as MP for East Renfrewshire in 2024, and became a junior business minister a year later.
In the 2000s, Mr McDougall was a special adviser to James Purnell when he was Culture Secretary.
Reports have suggested that Mr Purnell will be the next Downing Street chief of staff - potentially setting up Mr McDougall for a promotion.
Ian Murray
A real long shot, Ian Murray was Scottish Secretary for 15 months after the general election (having also served in the shadow role for five years previously) before he was booted from cabinet by Sir Keir Starmer in September 2025.
The Edinburgh South MP returned as a junior minister jointly in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology after an outcry from Scottish Labour about his sacking.
Mr Murray is the longest serving Scottish Labour MP, and was the only Labour representative from Scotland at the 2015 and 2019 elections.
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