Labour must "win back to Scotland" to oust Boris Johnson, say leadership hopefuls

Keir Starmer says he would not impose policy on Scottish Labour

But the two frontrunners for the role - Rebecca Long-Bailey and Keir Starmer - appeared split on the issue of an independence referendum as they clashed at a major leadership hustings event in Glasgow today.

The were joint by Lisa Nandy at the event in the Scottish Events campus which was introduced by Scottish leader Richard Leonard.

"We can't win without Scotland, so we have to rebuild in Scotland," Mr Starmer told an audience of party members who will help choose the new leader in April.

Rebecca Long-bailey would not block a second independence referendum

Mr Starmer insisted he will work with the party in Scotland.

"There won't be any imposition from London, I'll be working with Scottish Labour."

He said UK cannot continue with the "status quo" and said a radical federal approach was needed to the constitutional question in Scotland.

Ms Long-Bailey added; "We won't win a general election without Scotland."

Lisa Nandy says the route back to power "runs through Scotland."

She said Labour shed votes to the Tories and SNP and insisted the party had to "rebuild trust."

Ms Long-Bailey again made it clear that she would not block a second independence on referendum on in dependence if this was requested by the Scottish Parliament, insisting this would drive voters "into the arms of the SNP."

And in a move which appeared to cut across the autonomy of Scottish Labour she hinted that Labour would not become involved in a cross-party "Better Together" style pro-union body in a future referendum campaign.

"We can't fall into the trap like we did last time where we joined forces with the Conservative party in the Better Together camapign.

"Nicola Sturgeon wants to paint us as a party of the establishment and we're not."

Ms Nandy made it clear that if Labour hopes to bounce back from the dismal election defeat it suffered in December, there will have to be a revival north of the border.

"There is no route to Government that doesn't run through Scotland," the Wigan MP said.

"But the challenge of this is absolutely enormous."

She added; "The problems are deep the answers are complex - but we've got win the argument for the United Kingdom that I love and I believe in and to wsin that argument we have to start winning in every region and nation of the UK."