SCOTTISH Labour is split on proposals to hold an early Holyrood election, even though the party is calling for the UK Government to agree to a snap Westminster poll.

Lord Foulkes, a Labour peer, is trying to bring forward the next election to 2020, but he is not being backed by the leadership of the Scottish party.

In a dig at Foulkes, a Labour source said: "This isn't something we support. We do need to open up democracy so, for example, all Labour peers are now appointed on the basis they will campaign for the abolition of the Lords and its replacement with an elected second chamber."

It can also be revealed that MSP James Kelly, a member of leader Richard Leonard’s shadow cabinet, proposed a member’s bill on an early election, but he was rebuffed.

Holyrood elections used to take place every four years, but the 2011 term was extended to five years to avoid a clash with the 2015 general election.

The Scottish Elections (Dates) Act 2016 also extended the current term to 2021 so that it did not overlap with any general election a year earlier.

However, no Westminster poll is now scheduled for 2020 and Foulkes, a former party MP and MSP, has introduced legislation in the House of Lords to ensure voters would go to the polls in 2020 for Holyrood.

His Bill is making its way through the Lords and it is understood a Scottish Labour MP will attempt to steer it through the Commons.

Foulkes contacted the party leaders in Scotland for comment, but he said Leonard did not respond.

It mirrors a proposal Kelly floated internally this year when he was the shadow cabinet secretary for finance and the constitution.

The Herald on Sunday can reveal he tried to win support for a member’s bill at Holyrood for a 2020 election.

Supporters of the plan believed the SNP was divided on their strategy for a second independence referendum and an early poll would destablise the Nationalists.

Backers also argued that it would show the party had confidence in Leonard and would put First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on the back foot.

The proposal was rejected and Leonard’s team is said to be unenthusiastic about an early election.

Scottish Labour’s poll ratings have been dire this year and party strategists believe the leader needs more time to introduce himself to the public.

However, a party insider said of Scottish Labour’s stance on the Foulkes legislation: "Holyrood elections should be every four years, and if there's an opportunity to get rid of the SNP sooner rather than later, we should take it.

"By not backing this Bill we look as weak as Jeremy Corbyn, who keeps delaying a vote of confidence in the Tories.

"Richard's team may feel they need more time before the next election, having failed to increase his profile, but that's no excuse for inflicting another year of nationalism on the country."

In an article last month, Leonard wrote about why he believed there should be a general election as soon as possible:

“There’s got to be a fresh approach to Brexit. My own view is the best way to achieve that is for there to be a general election. This is a political crisis and there’s a growing prospect of it being a constitutional crisis. That propels us, in my view, in the direction of a general election.