SCOTTISH Labour politicians have been given a script on how to stop party members from quitting, after it emerged thousands had left in the last twelve months.

MSPs and MPs were issued with a “resigner” guide and given advice on emailing and calling members who had walked away.

A party source said: “This is pretty embarrassing and sadly proves that we’ve got a real problem with members quitting.

“Hopefully the data collected will make the leadership sit up and understand that people are quitting because of Jeremy Corbyn’s failure to oppose Brexit and his failure to address antisemitism in our ranks.”

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In recent years, party leadership contests triggered a sizeable rise in party membership, with the UK total surging to more than 500,000 and the Scottish Labour number exceeding 25,000.

However, the numbers have fallen substantially over the last twelve months, and Scottish Labour’s total is down by 5,000 in a year.

Many of the leavers are members recruited by the campaign team of 2017 leadership contender Anas Sarwar, who lost to Richard Leonard. Some of these new joiners have since left the party.

Party insiders also believe Leonard’s pro-Brexit stance, as well as Scottish Labour’s handling of anti-semitism allegations, have contributed to the departures.

In Eastwood, which is home to a large proportion of Scotland’s Jewish community, the membership total has fallen by nearly 40%.

Elected representatives have now been contacted about getting in touch with members who have recently left the party.

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The communication states: “Your local knowledge means you may well personally know a resigning member – it’s always sad to see a member leave, especially if they’ve made a valuable contribution. Knowing how much they are valued by their CLP might encourage them to stay on board.”

Also included is a pro forma email that MSPs and MPs are encouraged to send to people who have quit.

The “sample resigner email” states: “I’ve just been informed that you’ve decided to resign your Labour Party membership, so I just wanted to get in touch to let you know how sorry we are to see you go and to thank you for your contribution.”

It continues: “Our members are our greatest asset, and together we’ve achieved a lot in this year. . We also face big challenges in the months and years ahead, . So I do hope you’ll think about staying with us.”

An alternative “calls guide” is also provided: “Start by introducing yourself and explain you’re calling from their local party. Let them know that you’ve noticed they’ve recently resigned from the party and ask if they’ve got a few minutes for a chat about their resignation and it won’t take long.”

The advice sheet informs the politicians to “let them know how sorry you were to see that they’d resigned”, and to inform them of the “difference they’ve made locally and how much their contribution was valued”.

The quitting guide also asks the caller to enquire about their reasons for leaving: “If they are resigning for political reasons, or because they disagree with a Labour Party policy, remind them that the best way to make sure their voice is heard and to change the party is to continue as a member.”

Scottish Tory chief whip Maurice Golden said: “The fact Labour have had to devise a ‘lines to take’ approach for people resigning their membership shows just how dire a situation they are in.

"With the party’s toothless and negligent approach to tackling anti-semitism, it’s no wonder people are leaving in their droves. This is just the latest desperate depth to which the party in Scotland has sunk.”

A Labour spokesperson said: “We don’t comment on leaks.”