SNP fury as Corbyn says ‘no indyref2 for five years’

● Labour leader forced to backtrack after initially ruling out Scots vote in ‘first term’ of Labour government

Confusion surrounded labour’ s position last night on a second referendum on Scottish independence after Jeremy Corbyn rowed back from an initial refusal to grant one during his first term in office.

During a tour of three constituencies across Greater Glasgow, as he began a 48-hour period of campaigning north of the Border yesterday, Mr Corbyn again ran into trouble on the constitution after he pulled back from earlier comments that he would deny an indyref2 in the first five years of a Labour government at Westminster.

Boris Johnson said the Labour leader’s stance would result in a “Corbynsturgeon technicolour coalition of chaos”.

Mr Corbyn had told reporters there would be “no referendum in the first term for a Labour government” if he took power following next month’s general election – even if the SNP wins a majority of Scottish seats.

But party aides immediately began to dampen the comments to say the position could change if Nicola Sturgeon’s party retains power at the next Scottish Parliamentary elections in 2021.

Hours later, Mr Corbyn, in a combative exchange with reporters in Tannochside, on the outskirts of Glasgow, said instead that he did “not countenance” another

A third former Labour MP has publicly said he will vote Conservative at next month’s general election.

Tom Harris, a Labour MP in Glasgow for 14 years, said the prospect of Jeremy Corbyn as prime minister “just chills me to the bone”.

Mr Harris joins former Labour MPS Ian Austin and John Woodcock in saying they cannot support their former party in the election and instead will back the Tories.

The intervention came as Mr Corbyn arrived in Glasgow for a two-day visit to Scotland and was seized on by the Scottish

Conservatives, who urged Labour supporters to“lend their votes” to stop a potential second independence referendum.

Mr Harris, a junior minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, said he didn’t believe Mr Corbyn could be trusted with national security and would “sell No voters out” for a deal with the SNP on indyref2. He said: “He is not someone who can be trusted with the security of the nation as far as defence is concerned. He is a man who has instinctively sided with our country’ s enemies over the years he has been an MP.”