The opposition Labour Party has chosen former Cabinet minister Jim Murphy as its leader in Scotland, where he will have the job of trying to hold on to the seats the party needs to win a British national election due in May.

The former secretary of state for Scotland, who won 55 percent of the vote, needs to rejuvenate the Scottish Labour Party, which faces a tough challenge from nationalists who could potentially derail Labour's chances of winning a majority in the polls next year.

Murphy, who was the favorite to win, became well known for his soap-box brand of pro-union patriotism during September's referendum on independence.