Scottish Labour will decide Indyref2 stance, says Leonard

Richard Leonard has told Labour leadership contenders that the Scottish party will decide their position on independence.

Mr Leonard told the PA news agency he has spoken to UK leadership hopefuls and insisted the Scottish party must make the final call.

It came just days after candidates including Jess Phillips and Lisa Nandy weighed in on Scotland’s future within the UK, voicing opposition to a second referendum.

Earlier this week, Mr Leonard said he is in support of “home rule” for Scotland, which would see more powers devolved to Holyrood and leaving areas such as economic policy, defence and foreign affairs at Westminster – a position reminiscent of “devolution max” which was touted ahead of the 2014 vote as an alternative to independence.

Mr Leonard said: “One of the things that I’m saying to all the leadership candidates in this contest is it’s good that they’re concentrating a lot of their messages on Scotland – that they understand if Labour is to win again, we have to win in Scotland.

“But I’m getting the message across that in the end, on the Scottish constitutional question, that will be decided by members of the Scottish Labour Party.

“The Scottish Labour Party will be the ones driving that agenda.” But Scottish Labour remains split on the issue, with a number of high-profile figures having spoken in support of a possible second independence referendum while others are against such a move.