Theresa May has warned a post-election deal between Labour and the SNP would lead to a “government in chaos” after Jeremy Corbyn admitted he would “open discussions” over a second Scottish independence referendum.

Speaking ahead of Tuesday's postponed launch of the SNP manifesto, the Labour leader pledged to start talks with Nicola Sturgeon’s government over another independence vote if he becomes Prime Minister.

Mr Corbyn said he would “listen very carefully” to the Scottish Parliament, which has a nationalist majority and has already voted for the First Minister to enter talks with Downing Street over another referendum.

He said he would “suggest” that they should delay another independence vote until the conclusion of the Brexit negotiations in 2019.

However, this is a much weaker stance than that adopted by Mrs May, who has said she will refuse to even enter talks with Ms Sturgeon until Brexit is complete and has “bedded in” and there is overwhelming “public consent” for the move.

His intervention came as Ms Sturgeon said she “would want to get as much of the SNP manifesto implemented as possible” as the price of propping up Mr Corbyn in government and confirmed she wanted another independence vote “at the end of the Brexit process.”