Labour leadership candidate Jess Phillips has said that she “can’t see a circumstance” where it would be better for Scotland to leave the UK.

Speaking to Good Morning Scotland, Ms Phillips said she would be opposed to a second independence referendum, even if there was a clear mandate following a Scottish election that delivered a pro-independence majority at Holyrood in 2021.

The Birmingham Yardley MP, who announced she would be standing to succeed Jeremy Corbyn as leader on Friday, also said that not having a clear position on Scottish independence and Brexit is a key reason why the party has lost elections.

Speaking on the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme on Tuesday, the Birmingham Yardley MP outlined her opposition to having another vote on independence.

When questioned on whether her stance differed from that of Jeremy Corbyn on another independence referendum, she said: “I don’t think we should be having another referendum on Scottish independence.

READ MORE: Kirsty Strickland: If It’s a question of leadership, Jess Phillips isn’t the answer

"53% of the Scottish public in the general election did not vote for a party that was promoting independence and lots of people who are pro-UK will have voted for the SNP either in tactical or for other reasons.

“I think that the SNP should be held to account on their terrible track record with public services in Scotland, not trying to open up another divisive vote.

“I cannot understand that you’re pro-European but you’re not pro-UK. You think it is important to be part of that but not part of the UK.

Oh dear - @jessphillips not only stuck in a unionist anti democratic time warp on #indyref but also vague and superficial on all other policy issues. Pity…. @BBCRadioScot — Michael Russell (@Feorlean) January 7, 2020

When asked if come 2021, if there was a clear mandate for Scottish independence whether or not she would consider a Section 30 order, the Labour leader hopeful said: “There is enough SNP MPs after this general election for them to be talking about independence but we should be talking about things that are relevant to people’s lives in Scotland.

READ MORE: Section 30: What is it, how does it work and can Scotland hold another referendum without it?

“I cannot see a circumstance where I would think that it would be better for Scotland to leave the United Kingdom. I cannot see where that would ever be the case.”

When asked if she was Labour leader how she would win back Scotland she said: “It is going to be an enormous task, I think some of the reasons that we lost in Scotland and have been losing in Scotland for some time, is because we have since the referendum up there, not had a clear position on the two constitutional questions of the day.”

Speaking on affairs in the UK she said that the Labour opposition must hold Boris Johnson to account and make sure he delivers on promises.

READ MORE: Jess Phillips aims to be ‘different kind of leader’ for Labour party

Oh dear - @jessphillips not only stuck in a unionist anti democratic time warp on #indyref but also vague and superficial on all other policy issues. Pity…. @BBCRadioScot — Michael Russell (@Feorlean) January 7, 2020

Cabinet Secretary for Government Business Michael Russell tweeted following the interview that Ms Phillips was "not only stuck in a unionist anti-democratic time warp on indyref but also vague and superficial on all other policy issues."