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Labour will not back a second independence referendum even if Britain crashes out of the EU without a deal, Jeremy Corbyn has insisted.

The leader of the opposition hardened his position on the Scottish constitution despite admitting that a no-deal Brexit would be a “huge blow” that would lead to “enormous” job losses.

The Tory Government published 25 documents yesterday warning of the consequences of leaving the EU without a deal.

But in an exclusive interview with the Daily Record, Corbyn refused to accept the constitutional chaos caused by Brexit would make it difficult to refuse a potential call for a second indy referendum by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

Instead, he seized on the Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) figures published this week, which showed that Scotland received £13.5billion more in public spending than it raised in taxes last year.

Corbyn said: “I think the GERS figures point out just how difficult it is for Scotland unless it is part of the UK.

“We are not calling for and not supporting and not wanting a second independence referendum.”

(Image: DAILY RECORD)

There was frustration among some Scottish Labour figures prior to last year’s snap general election campaign that Corbyn was not outspoken enough in his opposition to independence.

He received an angry response from parts of the party after saying last March that he was “absolutely fine” with the idea of IndyRef2 taking place.

He said at the time: “I don’t think it’s the job of Westminster or the Labour Party to prevent people holding referenda.”

But speaking on a visit to meet Labour members in Greenock, Corbyn was forcefully opposed to a second independence referendum.

He said: “It was supposed to be a once-in-a-generation vote when the referendum did take place four years ago.

“The priority is tackling inequality across Scotland, the growing numbers of children living in poverty, the growing housing demands and housing needs in Glasgow and all the big cities. We think these are the priorities and not the constitutional question.”

Sturgeon is due to update the Scottish Parliament this autumn on whether she will press ahead with her demands for IndyRef2.

(Image: DAILY RECORD)

Corbyn was more open to the prospect of a vote on whether there should be a united Ireland in the wake of Brexit.

Complications around the Irish border have dominated the Brexit debate, with politicians in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland suggesting it may be time for a referendum on unity.

Corbyn, who has long been a supporter of a united Ireland, said Labour were neutral on whether there should be a border poll.

He added: “I think it is a matter for people both in Northern Ireland and the Republic to decide if they want one or not.

“The Belfast Agreement does give provision for a border poll to be called but we’ll have to wait and see what happens.”

Corbyn, who has played down calls for a second Brexit referendum, admitted leaving the EU without a deal would be a disaster.

(Image: Getty Images Europe)

He said: “A no deal would be a huge blow.

“I am reluctant to put a figure on it but if you think of big employers with big supply chains across the UK – think Nissan, BMW, Airbus, Ford, Rolls-Royce – all of them have a supply chain and a sales chain in Europe.

“They would be facing 20 per cent tariffs and the job losses would be enormous.”

Corbyn added he was “very worried” about the prospect of a no deal but that Labour would put pressure on the Tories to avoid it. He said the chances of a another snap general election taking place in the next year are “evens”.

He pledged Labour would stand on a platform of “redistributing wealth and power” in any campaign and accused the SNP of not doing enough to oppose Tory austerity.

Corbyn said: “They seem to want to have it both ways all the time in that they claim to be in opposition to the Tory Government at Westminster and at the same time they are under-funding local government in Scotland to a massive degree and there is a huge loss in college places.

“I think these things are very serious. We lose college places, we lose opportunities for so many young people.”