LABOUR leader Jeremy Corbyn has reignited the crisis surrounding Scottish Labour by saying the UK parliament should not block a second independence referendum.
Mr Corbyn said he did think "it is a good idea", but believes it is not up to Westminster to stand in the way of a fresh democratic vote.
His comments to the BBC come after shadow chancellor John McDonnell said the party would not oppose a second referendum.
However, this flies in the face of official Scottish Labour policy to still to oppose such a vote, and risks undermining Richard Leonard, the party's leader at Hollyrood.
The party in Scotland has campaigned against holding another vote, with Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard having previously indicated that it would refuse to grant Holyrood the power to stage one.
READ MORE: Richard Leonard meets John McDonnell amid Labour row over independence vote
But Mr Corbyn told the BBC: "It's not up to parliament to block it but it's up to parliament to make a point about whether it's a good idea or not."
He added: "I do not think it's a good idea"
John McDonnell's comments at an Edinburgh Fringe event earlier this month have been criticised by several senior Scottish Labour figures.
Mr McDonnell said at two Edinburgh Fringe events that Labour would not block an independence vote, putting the the UK party at odds with previous statements made by Scottish Labour and te express policies of Mr Leonard.
Mr Corbyn and Mr Leonard have been considered allies.
Mr Leonard, considreed a Corbyn ally, later said he had spoken to Mr McDonnell to "put to him the very clear view that the people of Scotland do not want a second independence referendum and also to remind him that the last independence referendum was supposed to be once in a generation".
But that plea now appears to have fallen on deaf ears, with Mr Corbyn taking the same line as his shadow chancellor.
READ MORE: Labour MSPs back Leonard on Indyref2, not McDonnell
Labour's manifesto at the 2017 general election said another independence vote was "unwanted and unnecessary" and would "lead to turbo-charged austerity for Scottish families".
Asked if he agreed with Mr McDonnell, 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."
However, he said he did not think it was up to the UK Parliament to block an independence referendum.
He added: "I would advise that we don't have another referendum. I'm not in support of Scottish independence. What I am in support of is justice for Scotland and that means investment in Scotland by a Labour government for the whole of the UK."
Mr Corbyn is also seeking to topple Boris Johnson
Scottish Conservative deputy leader Jackson Carlaw said Mr Corbyn had "surrendered on a second independence referendum".
He said: "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 – they are utterly irrelevant even to their own party.
"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.
"It shows once and for all that Corbyn cannot be trusted to defend Scotland’s decision to remain in the UK."
There has been speculation that Labour and the SNP are moving towards an agreement to join forces at Westminster in an attempt to remove Boris Johnson from Downing Street, and Mr Corbyn's comments may be part an ongoing attempt to woo Scottish politicians to the cause.
On Wednesday, Mr Corbyn wrote to opposition leaders at Westminster and Tory rebels outlining a plan to table a no-confidence vote "at the earliest opportunity when we can be confident of success".
If passed, he suggested he would then become leader of a "strictly time-limited" caretaker government, pending a general election.
The SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford welcomed the letter, but urged Labour to "get off the fence on Brexit".
READ MORE: Ruth Davidson accuses Labour of 'rank betrayal' over independence referendum
Mr Blackford added: "I will be pleased to meet with the Labour leader and others at the earliest opportunity to work together. I can also confirm that the SNP stands ready to bring down this Tory government should Labour table a vote of no-confidence motion."
However, his comments on a second independence referendum are sure to spark anger among Scottish coleagues, and reignite the debate about the Scottish party's autonomy.
Having plunged to 9 per cent of the vote in May’s European election and now the third party at Holyrood, Scottish Labour if facing a tough fight to return to its former predominant position in Scottish politics.
Downing Street has accused the Labour leader of planning to "overrule" the result of the Brexit referendum.
First Minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has said she wants a second Scottish independence vote, with the consent of Westminster, before the end of this Scottish parliament term in 2021.
Since Boris Johnson became prime minister, she has indicated she would want to accelerate those plans if the UK was heading for a hard Brexit.
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