A SCOTTISH Labour MP has called on Richard Leonard to “consider his position” after leading the party to a historic defeat in the European election.

Ian Murray said Mr Leonard had to decide whether or not he was “in the best position to take forward the Scottish Labour party”.

The Edinburgh South MP told BBC Radio Scotland said it was “too early” to say if someone should challenge Mr Leonard for the leadership, but he not discount the idea.

READ MORE: Richard Leonard faces MSPs’ wrath after Labour’s Euro wipe-out 

He said he had spoken to party members since the election who had “changed their mind” about Mr Leonard, despite voting for him in the last leadership contest.

Mr Leonard, who has been criticised for slavishly copying Jeremy Corbyn’s positions instead of having his own, became Scottish Labour’s ninth leader since devolution 18 months ago.

Scottish Labour came fifth in the EU, slumping from 26 to 9 per cent of the vote and losing both its MEPs, including the UK’s longest serving MEP, David Martin.

It was the party’s worst result north of the border since 1910.

At a UK level, Labour lost half of its 20 MEPs as its vote share fell from 25.4 to 14.1%.

Senior figures admitted it had been punished for its ambivalence on Brexit, haemorrhaging votes to the Liberal Democrats and SNP.

Mr Murray won the biggest majority of any Scottish MP in 2017, getting 54.9% of the vote.

But in the European election, Labour fell to sixth place in his same seat, getting just 8.1%.

Mr Leonard is due to face a stormy meeting of his MSPs at Holyrood this lunchtime.

Mr Murray, an early advocate of a People’s Vote, said there had been “a huge amount of internal argument” in Labour about how to approach Brexit and an EU referendum.

He welcomed Mr Corbyn and Mr Leonard taking a stronger line on a People’s Vote after the party disastrous results, but said it was “too little, too late”.

READ MORE: Tories and Labour panic as election sparks demand for Brexit and indyref2 votes 

Asked if Mr Leonard had been too wedded to London policy, Mr Murray said: “I just think he’s been too wedded to not having his own mind about what’s in the best interests of Scotland and the Scottish Labour Party.

“I’m glad he’s realised.. that the position in Scotland has to change.

“If the position does change, that’s strong leadership. If it doesn’t change, or there’s any ambiguity, then the voters will decide and the party will get what it deserves.”

Asked if Mr Leonard or campaign manager Neil Findlay should consider their positions after the election result, Mr Murray said: “It’s up to them to consider their own positions. They’ll decide whether or not they’re in the best position to take forward the Scottish Labour party.

“I know many of the members who have spoken to me since the results yesterday have been decidedly angry, and decided that they perhaps voted for Richard in the leadership election and maybe they’ve changed their mind now.

“It’s about time that they showed some leadership and brought that forward."

Mr Murray also cited Mr Findlay’s decision in February 2017, when Kezia Dugdale was leader, to defy the Scottish Labour whip when MSPs voted on invoking Article 50.

At the time, UK Labour’s position was to support the triggering of the Brexit withdrawal process, while Scottish Labour’s was to oppose it.

Mr Findlay and Mr Leonard followed the UK Labour line rather than the Scottish line.

Mr Findlay has repeatedly denied voting Leave in the 2016 referendum

Mr Murray said: “The campaign manager voted against the Labour whip to invoke Article 50 in the Scottish Parliament and is very much a Leaver, but they have to listen to members

“They want a confirmatory vote in all circumstances for any deal that’s passed in parliament. That’s what the leadership should be reflecting.

"If they’re not, they have to decide whether or not they should be leading the party if they can’t reflect the wishes of the members.”

“Asked if someone should challenge Mr Leonard for the Scottish leadership, Mr Murray did not reject the idea, but suggested the timing was not yet right.

He said: “It’s too early to say that. I think it’s early to decide whether anybody will want to do that. I think the challenge for Richard Leonard is... to reflect on the fact voters have had their say, and if things don’t change then something’s going to have to happen otherwise the Scottish labour party are in danger of disappearing for good.”