LABOUR leadership front-runner Keir Starmer has laid out his position on independence ahead of a visit to Scotland.
Keir Starmer said it was time to "reset the relationship between UK Labour and Scottish Labour", explaining that the party's UK bosses must not impose an indyref2 stance on the members in Holyrood.
Party bosses in London have previously been accused of treating Labour in Scotland like a "branch office", with former Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont hitting out when she left the position in 2014.
More recently, senior figures in the UK party have appeared to take a different stance on the issue of independence.
READ MORE: Keir Starmer back on campaign trail with more union backing
While Scottish Labour has been opposed to a second referendum on the country's place in the UK, Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell made clear they wouldn't stand in the way of indyref2, but wouldn't want it to take place in the early years of a Labour government.
Starmer, Labour's shadow Brexit secretary, said while the UK's constitutional arrangements must change, he does not support independence for Scotland.
Writing in the Daily Record, he said: "It's self-evident Scotland's relationship with the UK cannot rest on the status quo. There is deadlock when we need change.
"Labour must change, too. We have to reset the relationship between UK Labour and Scottish Labour.
"Our constitutional position will be made, not imposed. It's not for Scotland alone that change must come."
He stressed: "I don't want Scotland to leave the UK. I profoundly believe in solidarity across borders."
Starmer added: "Brexit shows the pain caused by leaving any major economic and political relationship - and Scotland's economy has a bigger trading relationship with the UK than it does to the EU."
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon calls on Lisa Nandy to clarify Catalonia comments
Looking at the UK's current constitutional setup, he said: "There are many issues that have to be addressed - how the English regions relate to each other and within themselves; what powers Wales wants in order to shape its future; the relationship between cities, councils and the metro mayors, the question of how we empower smaller towns and support rural communities".
He called for a federal solution and pledged to push for a UK-wide constitutional convention to be established.
Starmer promised under his leadership if Prime Minister Boris Johnson does not agree to this "Labour will kick off its own in opposition and build the case for a new settlement of the UK's nations and regions".
The Holborn and St Pancras MP is the last leadership contender to really address their position on Scotland as part of their campaign.
While Rebecca Long-Bailey has indicated maintaining Corbyn and McDonnell's policy, Lisa Nandy, Emily Thornberry and Jess Phillips - who has now dropped out of the race - all drew criticism for their comments on independence.
READ MORE: Emily Thornberry declares 'I hate the SNP' at Labour hustings
Thornberry was in hot water just this weekend after stating she "hates" the SNP at a hustings.
Before that, Nandy faced backlash when she suggested Scotland could learn from how "divisive nationalism" was beaten in Catalonia. She later condemned the police violence used during and in the aftermatch of the Catalan referendum.
And Phillips, who had hired former Better Together campaign director as an adviser, said she, like Boris Johnson, would block indyref2 altogether.
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