LABOUR'S only Scottish MP has vowed to ensure that women always have a place in the party's leadership team.

Ian Murray has announced a plan to introduce a permanent co-deputy position, which must be filled by a woman, should his bid for deputy leadership succeed.

The Edinburgh South MP also wants the UK and Scottish parliaments to introduce proxy voting and locums during maternity leave for politicians.

It comes after Stella Creasy became the first MP to bring in a locum to stand in her place when she had a baby last year, handling constituency work and campaigns.

Murray also stated that Holyrood should be "more flexible", and backed job-sharing roles, such as the idea put forward by Jackie Baillie MSP and Pauline McNeill MSP to share the role of Scottish Labour deputy leader, which was rejected by the party.

Several female MSPs have recently stated they will not be standing in next years' Holyrood elections, citing dfamily constraints and suggested introducing video conferencing for committees and electronic oting to allow easier remote working.

He said: "We should always be proud of Labour’s record in achieving greater gender equality - both within our party and in society when we were in government. But there is so much more to do.

“This starts with reforming our own party, which is why I am determined there should always be at least one woman in our leadership team.

“Too often when we talk about gender equality we ask what more can be done to support women to break through - rather than do the harder of work of seeking to change the system. I want to change the system.

“Public service is something to be championed, but we cannot hope to encourage more people to choose it as a career unless we remove institutional barriers."