Leonard says Scotland key to Labour victory

Scotland will be the key to delivering a Labour government at Westminster in the next general election, Richard Leonard will say.

The new Scottish Labour leader is due to travel to London to address the Parliamentary Labour Party for the first time since his election last month.

Left-winger Mr Leonard is the fourth person to hold the post in the past three years after defeating rival candidate Anas Sarwar following the shock resignation of Kezia Dugdale in August.

Polls carried out since his election have suggested that support has grown, putting the party back in second place behind the SNP.