Scottish Labour leader Michael Marra has said he feels “more comfortable in my own skin” since winning the job.

Mr Marra defeated fellow MSP Joe Fagan last week to replace Anas Sarwar after he was sent to the House of Lords.

Speaking at his first party conference since his election, he told an event organised by the Scottish Fabians: “I actually feel, this week, I was surprised how free I feel to actually give a sense of what I think.

“I found interviews easier than I did before because I think when you’re a politician who’s not the leader, you’ve got a kind of a frame here that you need to sit within.

“But I feel more comfortable in my own skin doing it this week than I ever had before.”

Mr Marra takes the reins of Scottish Labour after the party’s worst election result at Holyrood, dropping to just 17 MSPs.

He said: “So now the challenge for us is to say ‘how do we tell that more distinct Labour story about what our values are?”

He added that it would not be enough to simply criticise the SNP over the next five years, describing it as “punching those bruises”.

He said: “The question is whether we are a credible recipient for some of (voters’) anger, but actually for their hope about the future.”