THE Labour peer who gave Kezia Dugdale her start in politics has launched a scathing attack on her estranged deputy, accusing him of disloyalty and having “more ambition than talent”.

George Foulkes said Alex Rowley was doing his party a “big disservice” by undermining Dugdale as the party wrestles with Brexit and a possible second independence referendum.

He claimed Rowley, a former head of Fife Council who is said to covet Dugdale’s job, was “obviously very ambitious and has a high opinion of himself, but no one I know shares it.”

His comments highlight the rift between Dugdale and Rowley and their respective camps.

The Sunday Herald reported last week how the relationship between the pair, who were only elected Scottish Labour leader and deputy last August, had already broken down. Dugdale supporters believe Rowley has failed to support her by making personal policy statements on the constitution and Trident without clearing them first.

Matters came to a head last month after three-quarters of Labour MPs passed a vote of no confidence in Jeremy Corbyn as their UK leader and Dugdale urged him to stand down.

“I would not carry on in similar circumstances," she said.

However Rowley and fellow left-wing MSPs Neil Findlay and Richard Leonard then issued a public statement declaring their support for Corbyn as Labour’s “democratically elected leader”. Asked last week if she still had confidence her deputy, Dugdale said: “Absolutely”.

However her mentor, Foulkes, said Rowley was being “very negative and unhelpful”.

Foulkes, who hired Dugdale to work for him at Holyrood when he was an MSP from 2007-11, said: “In Scotland, more than anywhere in the UK, we need unity in the Labour Party.

“Kez is a unifying figure. She is well respected and well liked. She’s got a very good team and anyone who seeks to undermine her is doing the Scottish Labour Party a big, big disservice. Kezia has the overwhelming support of the Labour MSPs and of the party.

“There are people within the [MSP] group who support Corbyn and have done so regularly and reputably and no one would any quarrel with them, like Elaine Smith and Neil Findlay. But Rowley is a different kettle of fish.”

He went on: “His ambitions aren’t matched by his talents. I’ve had a number of people contact me expressing concern about what he’s up to in very, very strong terms. He’s ambitious. He assumes that if he goes on like this it will help him. He’s misguided. I have a lot of respect for Neil and Elaine. But that respect doesn’t extend to Rowley.”

Foulkes suggested Rowley was sucking up to the pro-Corbyn Momentum group to advance his career, despite being absent from Corbyn’s leadership campaign bid last year.

“I think he’s trying to hitch himself to that bandwagon. I’m sure Corbyn would not be a great fan of Rowley. His man in Scotland is Neil Findlay, as we know.”

Rowley said Labour should be reminding people the Tories were to blame for Brexit and showing leadership, not adding to the turmoil with a misguided coup against Corbyn.

He said: “I’m not going to be distracted by George Foulkes and name calling. What we should focus on is what Brexit means and how we move Scotland forward in terms of Europe. George can call me whatever names he wants to. I’m not going to get into that.”