A TOP economic adviser to Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has been revealed as a campaigner for Scottish independence before the 2014 referendum.

According to the Politics Home website, Dr James Meadway, an opponent of austerity appointed to McDonnell’s team last year, was one of a number of English contributors to the “Scottish Independence: Support from London” film that was posted on YouTube.

In the video, he clearly says: “I support Scottish independence because I think this is about democracy.

“It’s a chance not just for Scotland, but for the whole country to break the stranglehold of Westminster and the City of London politics on the economy and think about how we can run a different, better kind of country.”

The Scottish Conservative chief whip John Lamont said last night: “This is yet another humiliating revelation about Labour’s weakness on keeping Scotland in the UK. Voters will be looking to Kezia Dugdale to distance herself from these remarks.”

Meadway could not be contacted last night. A spokesman for McDonnell said: “This was an historic personal opinion held by Dr Meadway, and does not reflect the views of the Labour party.”