Who is new Scottish Labour leader Michael Marra?

Michael Marra has been elected as the new leader of Scottish Labour, succeeding Anas Sarwar.

The North East MSP took up his seat at Holyrood just five years ago.

A history buff with a reputation for being a tough scrutiniser, Marra comes from a trade unionist family with strong Labour ties.

Here's all you need to know about the MSP.

Marra was born in Dundee in 1979 and grew up in the city.

The Dundee United fan went to St John's High School and joined the Labour Party as a teenager.

He studied history at Glasgow University, graduating in 2001.

Marra later secured a master's degree in economics and international development from the London School of Economics.

Asked by Holyrood Magazine in 2021 which fictional character he most identified with as a child, he replied: "Peter Parker. An awkward wee guy stuck on the outside of everything, beset by guilt, torn by dilemmas and with a vivid fantasy life.

"So Spider-Man. That's me."

Marra worked as head of policy and public affairs for Oxfam Scotland, which included a stint in Malawi, and as deputy director of the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science in Dundee.

He was also a senior adviser to former Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray and had a short stint with unionist campaign group Better Together.

Marra launched his own political career in 2017 as a councillor in Dundee.

He won a seat at Holyrood in 2021, as a regional MSP for North East Scotland.

Marra was immediately given a frontbench role as education spokesman under Anas Sarwar's leadership, before moving to the finance brief.

As a member of Holyrood's finance committee, he was known as a tough scrutiniser with an eye for detail.

Last year, Marra voted against a bill that would have legalised assisted dying in Scotland.

He did not cast a vote in the final ballot on reforms that would have made it easier for people to change their legally recognised sex.

It was reported at the time that Marra would have voted against the proposals, despite the Scottish Labour leadership's support for the bill.

Instead, he was given permission to miss the vote, therefore avoiding having to stand down as education secretary for going against the party whip.

The Scottish Labour leader is married with three children.

He is the younger brother of former Labour MSP Jenny Marra, who represented North East Scotland between 2011 and 2021.

The MSP is also the nephew of his namesake Michael Marra, the renowned Dundee songwriter who died aged 60 in 2012.

Marra has said his family have a history of being proud trade unionists. His great grandfather helped found Dundee's Independent Labour Party.

As well as being a marathon runner and five-a-side footballer, the politician is also a US civil war buff, with a particular interest in Abraham Lincoln.

Matching the great Republican's political skill is an impossible ask, but Marra will need a great deal of nous to haul Scottish Labour back from their worst-ever Holyrood election result earlier this year.