AN ally and close friend of Jeremy Corbyn has called for Scottish Labour to back independence.

Former Labour minister Les Huckfield founded the left-wing Labour faction Campaign for Socialism, now Momentum, with Corbyn and is still in regular contact with him despite quitting the party over the Iraq war.

He says if he lived in England he would rejoin the party under Corbyn and shadow Chancellor John McDonnell’s leadership but would not do so while he lives in Scotland.

“If I were still in England, now that the Labour Party is returning to a more democratic agenda under Jeremy and John, I would now rejoin – as I have dozens of friends with whom I keep in regular touch,” he told the most recent edition of iScot magazine published on Tuesday.

“But I will not join the Labour Party in Scotland, firstly because the SNP has better policies on most issues and the Scottish Labour Party is an old-fashioned, right-wing Unionist Party.

“For me, Scotland’s independence is an absolute priority and there’s no compromise on that, including “devo max” and federalism.”

He told The National: “I make no bones about it I’m a very good friend and supporter of Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell and still very much in touch with them.

“We have an ongoing dialogue about the fact that it would be far better if the Labour party as a whole backed Scottish independence, but obviously as a start it would be good if Scottish Labour did so.

“However, even if Scottish Labour backed independence I would still have difficulties with some of the party’s other stances. It would be good if the leader supported her party’s stance on not backing the renewal of Trident for instance.”

Huckfield, a former MP and MEP, also took issue at a perception among some Labour supporters that the Yes movement was inward looking.

Asked why he thought Corbyn supported a united independent Ireland but did not share the same ambitions for Scotland, Huckfield said: “I have tried to talk to many Labour Party colleagues in England about this.

“But many on the left still hold a quite old fashioned “internationalist” position. I’m an internationalist too and I don’t believe that the SNPs position is divisive, sectarian or even on many issues primarily nationalist. It’s just that Scotland wants to govern itself and has every right to do so.”

He added: “It took me some time to adjust to Scotland’s different perspective on the world, which, through consensus and a more collectivist view, is fundamentally different from most English policies, which unfortunately are primarily market oriented and market driven. Scotland has a wider perspective, as was evidenced by Nicola’s superb “We are Scotland” declaration [after] at FMQs. That’s only properly sustainable under a Scotland that governs itself.”

During the interview with iScot he said that while he supported independence he had reservations about joining the SNP citing concerns about the party’s internal structures.

A Scottish Labour spokesperson said: “As Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell have said, Scottish Labour is the only anti-austerity party in Scotland.

“Labour’s purpose has always been to shift the balance of power and wealth in favour of working people. As Jeremy said last month, independence would not be in the interests of the people of Scotland. Under the SNP’s plans for independence, Tory austerity would only deepen in Scotland.

“A net fiscal deficit of £14.8billion or 9.5 per cent of Gross Domestic Product is the highest figure in the EU – and should be a reality check for those calling for another independence referendum.”

Huckfield was Under-Secretary of State for Industry from 1976 to 1979 in government of Jim Callaghan’s government, and a MEP from 1984 to 1989.