Labour is accused of selling out the Union to get into Downing Street

Labour was last night accused of selling out the Union to get into No10 as Jeremy Corbyn crawled to the SNP over another independence referendum.

Mr Corbyn said it was not up to the UK Parliament to block a second vote.

It opens the door for him to offer the SNP another referendum after the 2014 poll in return for propping up a Labour government, even though he is ‘not in support’ of Scottish independence.

Corbyn said it was not up to the UK parliament to block a second vote. (Pictured: Corbyn dining on pizza slices with Labour MP Frank Field in 2016. The MP of 40 years has since been expelled from the party)

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said Mr Corbyn had taken the ‘right’ position, tweeting: ‘It is legitimate to oppose independence and to argue against a referendum – it’s not legitimate for Westminster to block a democratic mandate and a majority vote.’ 

But Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson said Labour was ‘selling thousands of Labour voters committed to Scotland’s place in the UK down the river’. 

The party’s Scottish deputy leader, Jackson Carlaw, said the comments prove that Labour is ‘utterly irrelevant’ in the country.  

‘Simply put, Jeremy Corbyn has surrendered on a second independence referendum. Both he and John McDonnell are preparing to hand Nicola Sturgeon the referendum she wants in exchange for SNP support for a Labour government.

‘Scottish Labour has been left dangling in the breeze. 

‘It’s clear who’s in charge of Scottish Labour and it’s not Richard Leonard. It’s a complete betrayal of thousands of Labour voters in Scotland who support the Union.’

Scottish Conservative party leader Ruth Davidson said that Labour was ‘selling thousands of Labour voters committed to Scotland’s place in the UK down the river’

Jeremy Corbyn told the BBC that his Labour government would ensure that Scotland ‘gets the investment it needs’. (Pictured: Corbyn at the Toddbrook reservoir on Monday August 5 2019

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Corbyn said: ‘My view is that I’m not in favour of Scottish independence; the referendum did take place and a decision was reached on that.

‘What I’d much rather is a Labour government given the chance to ensure that Scotland also gets the investment it needs, also gets the social justice it needs, and also gets the job opportunities for young people which have been denied.’

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has also admitted that Labour would not block a future referendum.

Scottish Labour leader Mr Leonard pledged earlier this year that a Labour Government would ‘not agree to a second independence referendum’.

Shadow Scotland Office Minister Paul Sweeney indicated that another referendum should only happen if the SNP secures a ‘mandate’. He said: ‘What the principle is, is one of democracy. So if there is in future a mandate for one it wouldn’t be possible for the UK Parliament to block that.’

But Mr Corbyn has angered some within his party for failing to set out what mandate is required for another vote. A Scottish Labour source said: ‘The SNP and Greens don’t have a mandate for Indyref 2, and Jeremy and John should remember that. They should also remember that they stood on a manifesto to oppose Indyref 2, and stop undermining Richard.

‘Sadly, it appears this is all about doing a deal with the SNP, despite repeatedly being told there is nothing progressive about the SNP.’

A Scottish Labour spokesman said: ‘Jeremy Corbyn and Richard Leonard have made clear that there is no economic case for independence, especially with the SNP’s new position of ditching the pound and new policy of turbo-charged austerity to bear down on the deficit.’