Questions about past dalliances with drugs are notorious for wrong-footing politicians — think Bill Clinton and whether he inhaled. Now Jim Murphy, the vegan marathon runner and leader of Scottish Labour, has been pulled intocontroversy over whether he sniffed glue in his youth.
At a debate this week, Nicola Sturgeon, Ruth Davidson and Willie Rennie all confirmed that they had used cannabis. Mr Murphy, however, opened himself up to speculation that he might have sniffed glue — a habit prevalent in the Glasgow housing estate where he grew up.
Yesterday, as mocked-up pictures circulated on Twitter, Scottish Labour sent out a statement confirming that Mr Murphy had, in fact, never engaged in any kind of substance abuse.
The question was asked at a University of Glasgow debate on Thursday night after a discussion on a report that said up to £900 million a year could be raised through taxation of a regulated cannabis market.
Ms Sturgeon, the SNP leader, said: “I think I’m actually on record as making an admission on this. Once — probably, possibly at this university, although not at this union — but it made me awful sick.”
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Ms Davidson, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, said: “I went to Buckhaven high school, what do you think? I’m with Nicola, once or twice and it made me feel really sick.” Mr Rennie, for the Liberal Democrats, was more direct: “Yes, in my youthful days.”
Mr Murphy, who was raised in Arden, south Glasgow, said: “When I was growing up, and it was a long time ago, in the housing scheme that I lived in, glue sniffing was the thing.”
When asked whether he had tried it, he replied: “I don’t remember. At that time, drugs, and I’m giving away my age, it was just a kind of working-class thing to do, kind of sniffing glue out of crisp pokes.
“It was a dreadful, harmful thing that was in that community at the time.”
Scottish Labour moved yesterday to clarify his position. A spokesman said: “Mr Murphy has never taken drugs. The point he was making at the Glasgow University debate was that when he was growing up drugs weren’t as widespread and that the harmful thing for many people back then was glue sniffing. For the record that’s not something Mr Murphy has tried either.”
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The awkward episode ended a tough week for the Scottish Labour leader, who, according to a YouGov poll for The Times, is deeply unpopular with voters. The survey also found there was still a 19 point gap between Labour and the SNP before the general election.
At the debate, Mr Murphy and Ms Sturgeon opposed calls for the legalisation of cannabis. The panel was asked about the decision by the former Liberal Democrat minister Norman Baker to resign from the Home Office last year, claiming that Theresa May, the home secretary, had suppressed proposals to reform drugs policy.
Mr Rennie said that this was a “despicable” decision and called for an open debate on drug use in Britain “based on facts and science”.
Ms Sturgeon and Mr Murphy echoed his call for an open debate on drugs but said that cannabis should not be legalised.
Ms Davidson said: “I think some things are worth more than money, and the health of our nation is one of them.”