Jeremy Corbyn backed by Scottish Labour deputy leader

Scottish Labour deputy leader Alex Rowley has backed Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership in a move that put him at odds with Kezia Dugdale.

Rowley is one of a trio of Labour MSPs who have said attempts to oust Corbyn have “broken the hearts of Labour Party members”.

His backing for Corbyn contrasts with Scottish Labour leader Dugdale calling for him to quit after a vote of no confidence was overwhelmingly passed by the party’s group of MPs.

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Dugdale, speaking to the BBC, said: "If I lost the confidence of 80 per cent of my parliamentary colleagues I could not do my job". 

More than 200 Scottish Labour figures also signed a letter calling on Corbyn to resign.

However, Rowley praised Corbyn in a statement that said he had offered an “alternative to the austerity driven divisions within our economy and society”.

Labour MSPs Neil Findlay and Richard Leonard, a party spokesman on the economy, have also signed the statement that says Corbyn should be supported as leader.

Rowley, Findlay and Leonard call on Labour MPs to respect Corbyn’s mandate as leader after he was overwhelmingly elected to the post last September by rank and file party members. 

The statement said: “Jeremy Corbyn was democratically elected as leader of the Labour Party with almost 60% of members supporting him.

“His campaign succeeded because he offered an alternative to the austerity driven divisions within our economy and society.

“The events of the last few days have broken the hearts of Labour Party members across the UK.

“Democracy wherever it is found is a precious thing – we therefore want to make it clear that we wish to uphold the democratic rights of Labour Party members and support the democratically elected leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn.”