Scottish Labour leader predicts election over Brexit deal

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard has predicted a general election could be needed over the future of Brexit.

Prime Minister Theresa May has pledged that MPs will be given a "meaningful vote" on the withdrawal agreement she is currently working on.

Mr Leonard said that "looking at the way the negotiations are going at the moment", MPs would not back the deal.

He said this would likely lead to a general election, but added that he was "almost certain" Brexit would happen.

Mr Leonard was speaking as Westminster opposition parties met in London to discuss Brexit - without Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who dismissed the talks as a "political gimmick".

During an interview with the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme, Mr Leonard was asked whether there were circumstances which would see him back a second EU referendum.

Scottish Labour's Brexit spokesman Neil Findlay has said this option should be left on the table, while it has been endorsed by Mr Leonard's predecessor Kezia Dugdale, now a backbench MSP.

Mr Leonard said a fresh general election was "more likely" than a second referendum, given the way talks with EU leaders are progressing.

Theresa May has promised MPs a "meaningful" vote on the Brexit deal

He said: "My own view of it is that there will be a Brexit deal which will go to the Westminster parliament, and they will decide whether or not that is a sufficient deal or not.

"Looking at the way the negotiations are going at the moment. I suspect it will not command support which would in turn, I think, precipitate a general election.

"So rather than talking about second referendum I think it's more likely we will be talking about a general election to determine the future direction of the UK's membership of the EU."

'Extremely unlikely'

Mr Leonard added that he expects Brexit to happen, saying: "There are circumstances conceivable where Brexit may not happen but I think they are extremely slim.

"I think they're extremely unlikely and I think there will be withdrawal from the European Union but I think it's imperative that we make sure that withdrawal is on terms that best protect the interests of working people in this country."

Opposition party leaders met at Westminster to talks about Brexit - with an empty chair for Jeremy Corbyn

On Sunday, Mrs May told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show that there would be a "meaningful" vote on the withdrawal agreement at Westminster, with the intention to hold it before the European Parliament has its vote sometime after October.

MPs will also be voting on legislation to put the withdrawal agreement and the planned implementation period for Brexit into place.

The prime minister praised a "real spirit of co-operation" between the two sides and said that she was "very clear that by the time we leave the European Union we want to have agreed what the future relationship between us and the European Union is going to be".

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told the BBC on Monday that leaving the EU without a deal would be "unthinkable", saying that "no Brexit is preferable to no deal".

Her party has been pressing for the UK to retain membership of the European single market and customs union after Brexit, and SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford attended a meeting of opposition groups in London to discuss this goal.

The group left an empty chair for Mr Corbyn, who rejected calls for him to join the summit by saying its approach was "flawed".

Mr Leonard also discussed the fate of his party's group on Aberdeen City Council, who are currently under suspension for entering an unauthorised partnership with the Conservatives.

He said the group - which includes "personal friends" of his - would have "an opportunity" to resolve the situation in the coming months if they are able to set a non-austerity budget.