Watch: Jim Murphy's concession speech was a triumph of humility

Video: A disastrous night for Scottish Labour was softened somewhat by their leader's stirring speech

Jim Murphy said his party had “lacked a clear message” in its battle against the SNP, had not been “radical enough” and had failed to reflect Scotland’s new found mood of “confidence and optimism”. (Jeff J Mitch (Jeff J Mitchell | Getty Images)

Everyone knew the Scottish National Party would make significant gains in Scotland, yet the seismic shift from Scottish Labour to Nicola Sturgeon's party was the staggering story of the night.

Scotland, so long a stronghold for Labour, completely changed its political colour as places like Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, Gordon Brown's former constituency, switched from red to SNP yellow. Even Jim Murphy, the Labour leader in Scotland, could not stop the SNP onslaught, losing the Renfrewshire East he had held since 2005.

Yet despite the Labour party now only holding one seat in Scotland, Murphy managed to give a concession speech not dripping in malice or contempt but a triumph of humility.

"There’ll be more to say about this and what it means for Scotland in the days to come but for me personally and for the Scottish Labour party the fight goes on and the cause continues."