Labour is now seen as “irrelevant” and “part of the past” by voters in Scotland who have deserted the party, according to its own research into its general election defeat in May.

Focus groups conducted in Edinburgh and Glasgow found that Labour was seen as “indistinguishable from the Tories” and “an incompetent version” of the them. Anger about Labour “taking Scotland for granted” for years has dissipated, but only because the party is “simply an irrelevance” which is “firmly in the past….part of the heritage.”

The party’s research concluded: “Labour must re-build in Scotland as a credible alternative to the SNP that isn’t at the beck and call of Westminster”. It said the party should “consider rebranding Scottish Labour as independent.”

In May, Labour’s research report said, “voting SNP was to be part of an exciting change project”. Swing voters were “confident in Nicola Sturgeon, who would speak up and challenge ‘Westminster’ politicians.”

But there were some underlying fears that Scotland is becoming a one-party state, and many voters would have preferred a Labour-SNP coalition. Some were “anxious” about the Conservative Government. “By far the biggest concern is that Scotland will continue to be ignored and Cameron’s promises on devo max will never materialise,” the document said.