Malcolm Cunning’s former deputy pays touching tribute…

Malcolm Cunning’s former deputy pays touching tribute to her ‘mentor and friend’

Glasgow Labour’s former deputy Eva Murray has paid tribute to her mentor and friend, ex-leader Malcolm Cunning, who has died aged 65.

Cllr Cunning’s death was announced yesterday by Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and tributes have flooded in from across the political spectrum.

The Linn ward representative was voted in as Glasgow Labour leader in August 2020 after Frank McAveety stepped down from the role, and Cllr Murray was elected as his deputy.

Cllr Murray said her colleague was “one of the most eloquent and classy politicians I have ever come across” and Glasgow’s city chambers will “never be quite the same without him”.

“I feel privileged to have called Malcolm a colleague, a mentor and most importantly a friend, he truly was an exemplary councillor in every way,” Cllr Murray, who represents the Garscadden/Scotstounhill ward, added.

“From the day I was elected into the city chambers we were office roommates and in more recent years, when he became the Glasgow Labour group’s leader, I was so proud to work alongside him as his depute.

“We were a team and as a young woman in politics, I have never felt more supported, more encouraged and more content than serving alongside Malcolm. I will miss his quips in council, his tales of Aberdeenshire and our chats. I will miss him.

“Malcolm was one of the most eloquent and classy politicians I have ever come across and the tributes that have been paid to him from across the political divide, as well as from organisations and groups from across the city and further afield, prove that and show how much he was loved and respected.”

Cllr Murray continued: “He never forgot his Aberdeenshire roots, they ran right the way through him but he was just as much a Glaswegian as me, he loved our city. We truly have lost one of its greatest champions.”

Cllr Cunning led the Labour group into May’s council elections where it narrowly missed out on becoming the city’s largest party. Labour secured five more seats than at the 2017 election but the SNP won 37 and formed an administration with support from the Greens.

After the poll, he was replaced as group leader by returning councillor, George Redmond, who won a vote at an AGM in May. Ahead of the election, Cllr Cunning campaigned for Labour in the Linn ward alongside Catherine Vallis, with the pair both securing seats for the party.

Cllr Vallis said: “Malcolm knew how to get the best for his constituents, helping countless people over his years as a councillor for Linn.

“He was the best ward partner you could have, both in character and in his overwhelming knowledge of Linn and how to change things for the better. It was a privilege to learn from him and he is sorely missed.”

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