RICHARD Leonard faces losing his automatic right as Scottish Labour leader to sit on an influential body which agrees UK Labour’s general election manifesto under internal reforms.

Currently both Scottish and Welsh Labour chiefs attend a “Clause V” meeting which approves the manifesto ahead of each Westminster election.

Members of the shadow Cabinet, and Parliamentary Committee of the Parliamentary Party, consisting of PLP chair John Cryer and 17 departmental chairs drawn from the backbenches, as well as four chair of the National Policy Forum and eight trade union representatives are also required to take part.

But according to proposals being put forward by the party’s democracy review to Labour’s constitution only members of the National Executive Committee (NEC), the Shadow Cabinet and trade union representatives should be present at the meeting.

Under the reforms Leonard would as a NEC member continue to have the right to attend the Clause V meeting, but not as Scottish Labour leader. The Scottish Labour leader is automatically appointed to the NEC, but another proposal is that there should be elections to NEC positions.

The proposed changes have raised concern among some that they could weaken the Scottish influence on the UK party at a time when Labour wants to win back support north of the border, though the party has denied this to be the case.

“It is diluting Scottish Labour’s influence and party members will be looking to Richard Leonard to oppose this reform,” said one insider.

A SNP spokesman said: “If these plans go through – Labour’s Scottish Branch office might as well just pack up and close down for all the influence it will have,” said a SNP spokesman.”

Ross Greer, of the Greens, added: “Labour insiders... admit everything is geared toward Westminster, so the confusion surrounding the Scottish input to their next manifesto comes as no surprise. It’s all part of Labour’s do-nothing approach – as they squabble internally, the Tories are dragging us off the Brexit cliff edge.”

Scottish Labour called the suggestions “malicious nonsense” adding it was laughable to suggest Scottish and Welsh leaders “would have no serious input into the creation of the party’s next election manifesto”. The spokesman added: “Richard Leonard is a member of the NEC, Lesley Laird is a member of the Shadow Cabinet, and as such both would have a formal and influential role in the development of the next manifesto through the Clause V process. The democracy review findings are draft only at this stage and if anything would offer a greater say to Scottish party members on who represents them on the NEC. It would be hard to find anybody [in Labour] who would say anything other than the fact that adding MPs in Scotland, and Wales for that matter, will play a major role in getting Jeremy Corbyn into Number 10 at the next election whenever it is called. To suggest the interests of Scotland or Wales will be ignored when putting Labour’s prospectus to the voting public is simply wrong.”