A PLOT against Jeremy Corbyn to lose the general election could be mirrored in Scotland next year, senior Labour figures have warned.

A leaked dossier which emerged last week showed that party officials were actively trying to diminish Labour’s success during general elections, attempting to damage Corbyn’s reputation and subsequently oust him from the top job.

The explosive 860-page report contained detailed messages of Labour staff joking about hanging and beheading the party leader and mishandling complaints of anti-Semitism, and has prompted outrage from all sides.

It showed there were factions within the party working against those in support of Jeremy Corbyn, while referring to many members and elected politicians as “trots”.

An attempt by Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard to escalate complaints about anti-Semitism was dismissed by senior compliance staff, and other Scottish politicians were referred to as “trots”.

Some Scottish members believe the same tactics – undermining the leadership and deliberate attempts to sabotage success – are currently being used within Scottish Labour, and warn the party faces being wiped out at next year's Holyrood elections if it continues.

There have also been calls for an inquiry into the campaign strategies deployed by Scottish Labour during the 2017 general election, which saw them win seven seats – a rise of six from the 2015 election. Critics argue they could have won far more if the party’s resources were put in the right areas.

Neil Findlay, Labour MSP for Lothian, is among those calling for an investigation into what happened.

Others such as Scottish Labour Chair and former MSP Cara Hilton and former MP Danielle Rowley have taken to social media to express their concern since the report was leaked.

Findlay said: “Like thousands of Labour members up and down the country I’m still reeling from the content of this leaked report.

“We have seen party bureaucrats operating a parallel organisation, deliberately undermining not just the elected leader, and candidates that don’t fit with their view of the world, but also the hundreds of thousands of party activists who have campaigned relentlessly over the last five years.

“I am not casting any aspersions on individual employees of the Scottish Labour party but what I am asking for is for a full and independent inquiry to be conducted to confirm that indeed none of this did happen in Scotland.”

While new leader Keir Starmer has confirmed an investigation is to take place into how the report was leaked and what now needs to happen, there has been no suggestion of a specific probe into Scottish Labour’s election strategy.

It is understood that any potential probe will be discussed at the party’s next Scottish Executive Committee (SEC) meeting.

Others who were heavily involved in the 2017 general election campaign strategy have denied any back-handed tactics were used and claims that factions within Scottish Labour want Richard Leonard to be forced out of his position as leader, at any cost.

One senior party member told the Herald on Sunday: “No MSP wants him [Richard] to lose. Because if he loses, they all lose, and they are all selfish, individualistic operators who are obsessed with their own survival.”

Another said the claims that resources, such as finances, leaflets, or activists were prioritised for those who were close with former leader Kezia Dugdale were “absolute nonsense”.

Another senior figure involved in the 2017 election campaign said: “There seems to be some kind of idea that Ian Murray MP received more resources during 2017 because he was pally with Kez. Comparisons are being made between him and Gordon Munro who was standing in Edinburgh North and Leith.

“Gordon didn’t get more funding because, frankly, there wasn’t any and the polling did not show that he would win his seat. He also didn’t do the work needed. The party had incentives, so you got more leaflets or resources if you hit targets for knocking doors. He didn’t meet the targets.”

Former Scottish General Secretary Brian Roy, who was involved in the 2017 campaign, took to social media to denounce any suggestions of wrongdoing, but did not want to speak to The Herald on Sunday when asked.

On Twitter he explained there was “in-depth polling and analysis, combined with the actual results in May's local elections”, which determined the strategy for 2017.

He added: “We mounted an offensive campaign, targeting six seats, and winning five of them, with every member of staff working day and night to return a Labour Government ...

“To suggest or infer there is any reason to investigate current and previous Scottish staff about their intentions or commitment, does them a grave disservice. We should be better than this. If the allegations are solely about me personally, then have the courage to say so."

Richard Leonard has said the language used within the leaked report had “no place” within the party, while Sir Keir Starmer and deputy leader Angela Rayner issued a joint statement on Monday.

It said: “We have seen a copy of an apparently internal report about the work of the Labour Party’s Governance and Legal Unit in relation to antisemitism. The content and the release of the report into the public domain raise a number of matters of serious concern.

“We will therefore commission an urgent independent investigation into this matter. This investigation will be instructed to look at three areas. First, the background and circumstances in which the report was commissioned and the process involved. Second, the contents and wider culture and practices referred to in the report. Third, the circumstances in which the report was put into the public domain.

“In the meantime, we ask everyone concerned to refrain from drawing conclusions before the investigation is complete and we will be asking the General Secretary to put measures in place to protect the welfare of party members and party staff who are concerned or affected by this report.”