Nearly one third of Scottish Labour voters support a second referendum on independence.
Leaked internal polling shows Anas Sarwar ’s party is more divided on indyref2 than the SNP and the Tories.
Sarwar said during the Holyrood election he was against a referendum taking place in the current five year term.
Labour’s alternative is for a UK Government led by Keir Starmer to boost the powers of the Scottish Parliament.
However, a number of party figures believe Labour should agree to a referendum on the constitution.
They believe any vote should not be a binary choice as it was in 2014, but instead include an option for extra powers for Holyrood.
Polling presented to Scottish Labour figures, and subsequently obtained by the Record, shows the referendum issue is trickier for Sarwar than for his rivals.
Asked whether “in principle” there should be a referendum on independence, 57% disagreed while 30% agreed.
The Conservative breakdown was more clear cut, with 86% against and only 10% in favour.
Over three quarters of SNP voters, 78%, said there should be a referendum, with 15% against.
Scottish Labour constitution spokesperson Sarah Boyack said: “We are committed to securing Scotland’s place in a renewed and reformed United Kingdom and holding the SNP and Tories to account for their failures on the NHS, education and the cost of living.
“Instead of considering holding a divisive and costly referendum in the middle of a pandemic, Scottish Labour will fight to remove the Tories from office and deliver a brighter future for the people of Scotland.”
Former Labour MSP Neil Findlay said: “This polling uncovered by the Record shows a considerable number of Labour voters support Scotland’s democratic right to choose. This is something Labour should be enthusiastically behind and we should be asking for a multi-option referendum.”
SNP MSP Paul McLennan said: “In 2015 hundreds of thousands of former Labour voters switched to the SNP because of their opposition to independence and Labour’s alliance with the Tories.
“Now that their sole MP treats the people of Scotland with the same ‘disdain’ they accuse the Tories of by lobbying to take powers off Holyrood, they are further away than ever from those former supporters and alienating a significant proportion of what’s left of their vote.
“As long as Anas Sarwar, Keir Starmer and Scottish Labour continue to stand in the way of democracy in Scotland they doom themselves to irrelevance.”
Scottish Tory MSP Sharon Dowey said: “It’s hardly surprising a third of Labour voters back the SNP’s plans for another divisive independence referendum.
“They are just following the lead from party headquarters who are content in being in six council coalitions with the SNP across Scotland and are also considering standing pro-independence candidates in May’s council elections.
“Scottish Labour are all too quick to cosy up to the SNP. Only the Scottish Conservatives can be trusted to stand up for our Union and stand firm against the Nationalist coalition’s plans for a reckless referendum.”
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