Image caption Ken Macintosh and Kezia Dugdale are vying to be leader of the Scottish Labour party

The two candidates hoping to become the next leader of Scottish Labour have rejected calls for the party to break away from UK Labour.

And both Kezia Dugdale and Ken Macintosh insisted in a BBC debate that they would not be told what to do by UK party leaders.

The leadership contest was prompted by the resignation of Jim Murphy, with the result expected on 15 August.

It follows May's election when Labour MPs were almost wiped out in Scotland.

During the debate on the BBC's Scotland 2015 programme, both candidates rejected calls for an independent Labour party in Scotland.

'Interests of country'

Ms Dugdale said: "We have just won the referendum on the principle of pooling and sharing resources across the whole of the UK.

"I think if those arguments apply to the constitution they should apply to the party.

"We don't need autonomy to stand up for what we believe is right here in Scotland."

But she said she would not be dictated to by the UK party.

"Nobody is going to stop me saying what I believe in and what I stand up for," she said. "I'll stand up for what I believe to be in the interests of our country and the interests of the Labour Party after that."

Mr Macintosh said he would "negotiate a formal deal" with the UK Labour Party because "sometimes you have to mark your intentions with actions".

"I'm proud to be part of the UK Labour Party but I don't look to them for approval," he said. "I think we should take decisions here in Scotland but share responsibility where that's appropriate."

'Party machine'

He added: "I want to break up the party machine. What really depresses me is not this fictional London control.

"Its things like the Falkirk selection debacle where we've got unions trying to select the candidate of their choice and other people in the party trying to integrate their candidate.

"I would give the members back control. Making sure that policies come from the members and supporters, that's where they should come from, not focus groups or the party hierarchy."

Image caption Gordon Matheson, Alex Rowley and Richard Baker are in the running for the deputy post

Neither candidate would reveal who they were voting for as leader in the UK Labour Party election.

But both MSPs said they wanted to reform the party in Scotland.

Ms Dugdale said Scottish Labour needed a "fresh start".

"We need to hit that reset button and go back to our principles," she said.

"I want to lead a Labour Party that is ambitious for Scotland, rooted in their values and focused on the future."

'Tackling inequality'

Mr Macintosh said he was "fed-up" with Labour being defined by "what it was opposed" to and "who it was against".

"I want to remind people what we stand for, about the jobs we will create, about the prosperity we will bring and about the educational doors that will open," he said.

Speaking about austerity and welfare reform, both MSPs said they would be willing to work with the SNP against the Tory government.

Both Mr Macintosh and Ms Dugdale said Labour MPs had been wrong to abstain in a vote in the Commons last week on Conservative welfare reforms.

The majority of Labour MPs, including three of the four candidates for Labour's UK leadership, abstained, although a number of MPs, including leadership contender Jeremy Corbyn, voted against it.

When asked why young people should be tempted to join Scottish labour, Ms Dugdale said: "When I joined the Labour Party it's what you did if you wanted to change the world you lived in. I'll make the Labour Party that party again."

Replying to the same question, Mr Macintosh said: "For your future, for education, for prosperity, for social justice, for tackling inequality, for tackling discrimination in our society, for making this a better world, for decency."

'Changing lives'

Ms Dugdale said she would renew the party so that it was "fit for the future".

"I want it to be ambitious for Scotland and every single citizen within it," she said.

"I'll dedicate myself and my party to standing up for Scotland at every single turn, ensuring that we exist to change the lives of people across Scotland for the better, no matter what it takes and no matter who stands in the way.

"I'll lead our party back to power."

Closing the debate, Mr Macintosh said: "I'm going to break up the party machine, I'm going to put you in charge. I want a party that reflects our honesty.

"Some of the policies we will have will be unpopular but they will be principled. That's the kind of party I want to lead. A party that you can believe in and see where we are going."

The election will be a one member one vote ballot, while non-members can register as supporters to take part.

Glasgow City Council leader Gordon Matheson and MSPs Alex Rowley and Richard Baker are standing for deputy leader.