A Labour MSP has called for extra powers for Holyrood to be a “top priority” for a Government led by Keir Starmer.
Katy Clark said the next stage of Scottish devolution should not be linked to other elements of the party’s constitutional reforms.
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown is leading a wide-ranging constitutional review which includes replacing the House of Lords and devolving more powers to the nations and regions.
The Holyrood side, which includes beefing up the powers of the Parliament, has been handled by a team inside Scottish Labour answerable to party leader Anas Sarwar.
Although the Scottish proposals have been presented to the Starmer Cabinet, the full package has not been published yet and no timescale for delivery has been set.
Clark, who represents the West of Scotland and who has taken a leave of absence from the Lords, said enhancing Holyrood’s powers should be considered on a standalone basis given its importance.
She told the Record: “I fully support abolishing the Lords and the creation of a democratically elected second chamber. I’m very supportive of further devolution in England…..and very much want to support [Welsh First Minister] Mark Drakeford in the work that he is doing.
“But the reality is that we have a political challenge in Scotland that we’ve got to address. That means that we have to implement our project in Scotland, our project for radical and transformative constitutional change as a priority, and indeed without a referendum.”
She added: “I voted No [in 2014] on the basis that I wanted to see significant further powers transferred to Scotland and I believe there is a majority in favour of those kinds of proposals. Labour at a UK level needs to recognise that and ensure that this is given top priority when the next Labour Government is elected.
“The Scottish Labour party is very clear that, if Labour is elected at a UK level, then the proposals that come from the Scottish Labour party have to be implemented and have to be implemented as soon as possible.”
Her view jars with comments made by two former Scottish Labour leaders, Lord McConnell and Jim Murphy, who warned about a continued focus on extra powers.
McConnell, First Minister between 2001 and 2007, said: “We've seen an endless debate really since 2007 about more powers, which I think a blind alley.
“I think the real challenge is 'how do you change the way the British state works’ to reflect the fact that the United Kingdom is now a multinational state with different levels of legislative power in different places.
He added: “We need to be very careful that we just don't continue with an attempt to find a common ground on powers that is inconsistent.”
Murphy, who briefly led the party after the 2014 referendum, said: “My take is that the circular conversation about powers is an attempt to fix a political problem. Further powers are an important part of the political project [but] they are not an alternative.
“Often when I listen to the Scottish Labour party talking about powers, it's 'this is the one thing we believe in'.”
Scottish Labour has been contacted.
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