SCOTTISH Labour is facing a new discipline crisis on the eve of a visit by Jeremy Corbyn after some of its councillors skirted party rules to secure power with the aid of the Tories.

After Labour HQ twice rejected their plan for a formal coalition in West Lothian, Labour councillors took control of the authority through an informal deal with the Tories instead.

There are also claims Labour is now running Midlothian with informal Conservative support, with an unusual enhanced salary for the leader of the Tory group there.

Despite being outnumbered by the SNP in West Lothian, Labour was able to form a minority administration as, unlike a formal coalition, this did not require prior approval by party HQ.

The Herald understands the arrangement has infuriated many Labour members, who have now raised complaints with the party’s leadership and demanded an investigation.

One senior Labour figure said the West Lothian deal represented “informal power-sharing” with the Conservatives, adding: “I’m very uncomfortable with what has happened.”

A “working arrangement” with Tories also helps a Labour minority run North Lanarkshire.

The SNP, which has ruled out any power-sharing deals with the Conservatives, said Labour’s “ill-discipline” was an embarrassment to Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale.

The row comes ahead of the UK Labour leader visiting Glasgow tomorrow on what is expected to be his last Scottish stop of the general election campaign.

Mr Corbyn has narrowed Theresa May’s poll lead to five points by attacking Tory austerity.

Scottish Labour is also calling voters in Midlothian and other target seats today as part of its largest ever telephone campaign, which is aimed at 200,000 swing voters.

Its message will be that “voting Tory in these areas will just let the Nationalists back in”, a soundbite undermined by Labour-Tory pacts.

The local election on May 4 left no party with overall control of any of Scotland’s 32 councils, forcing rivals to consider a wide range of alliances to form administrations.

In Aberdeen, Labour’s nine councillors were refused permission by Labour HQ to enter coalition with the Tories, but went ahead regardless, leading to their suspension.

All now sit as independents and could face expulsion after an internal investigation.

Learning from the example, Labour councillors elsewhere are now being more innovative in how they secure power, while still relying on the Conservatives behind the scenes.

At Thursday’s full council meeting in West Lothian, a series of positions were allocated to Tory councillors, with all Labour proposals second by the Tories and vice versa.

However one Labour councillor, Dominic McGuire, abstained in protest.

A source close to him said he was “shocked, appalled and disgusted by the back room chicanery involving his party colleagues and the Tories”.

The council now has a Labour leader and deputy but a Tory provost.

The SNP have also accused Labour and the Tories of a ‘nod and a wink’ deal short of full coalition in Midlothian, where Labour is also running a minority administration.

Although only one seat behind Labour on the authority, the SNP say they have been “frozen out” of key committees and replaced by Tories with Labour's help.

Cath Johnstone, depute leader of the SNP Group said: “For Labour to refuse to work with the SNP then vote in Tory councillors to top positions, some of which attract financial bonuses, must be viewed as questionable at best. This is a pattern we have seen across Scotland.

“At least the suspended councillors in Aberdeen were transparent about it.”

Scottish Labour’s ruling executive has approved several coalition deals with the SNP and other parties, and says deals with Tories are theoretically possible.

However with the election looming, the party has so far rejected all Lab-Con coalitions.

Deputy leader Alex Rowley also confirmed Labour councillors are expected to attack Tory austerity, making power-sharing with Tory partners effectively impossible.

Tory local government spokesman Graham Simpson said: "This situation is becoming increasingly farcical for Labour. At local level they've got councillors who just want to get on with the job, but they're too scared to tell head office. At the same time, they've got belligerent management at the top who only want to prop up the SNP."

Hannah Bardell, SNP candidate for Livingston, said: “The utter ill-discipline in the Labour party is really embarrassing for Kezia Dugdale.

“It shows that her councillors have absolutely no respect for her.

“The Labour and Tory pacts that are appearing across the country in order to keep progressive SNP voices out of council chambers - including in West Lothian and Aberdeen - show that only the SNP can be trusted to stand up against the austerity obsessed Tories.”

A Scottish Labour spokesman refused to comment on the complaints to party HQ.

He said: “There is a Labour minority administration in West Lothian.

“Up and down the country only Labour is focused on protecting our local services rather than arguing about a second independence referendum Scots don't want."