A LABOUR MEP who is considering voting for Scottish independence if Britain comes away with a bad Brexit deal has claimed Scottish party leader Kezia Dugdale is “not unsympathetic” to his cause.

David Martin met Ms Dugdale yesterday after a week in which he told the European Parliament in Strasbourg that the UK “could cease to exist” after Brexit.

Following yesterday’s meeting, Mr Martin confirmed that he is no longer ideologically opposed to independence, and said he will make a “pragmatic decision” once the full impact of Britain leaving the European Union is clear.

Asked about Ms Dugdale’s reaction to his position, he said: “Let’s say she’s not unsympathetic.”

Ms Dugdale stressed that her party “will never support independence” — but said she shares Mr Martin’s “frustration” at the Tories’ hard Brexit plan.

Labour’s opponents seized on the exchange to shore up their constitutional campaigns, with the Tories attacking them as “weak” on independence.

However, the SNP urged Ms Dugdale to go further and confirm “what many already suspect” just one year after she said it was “not inconceivable” she could back independence to keep Scotland in the EU. She later backtracked on the statement.

Ms Dugdale’s attempts to find a middle way have seen her buffeted from either side. In 2015, she pledged to respect Yes voters’ views within the party, and a few months later said it was “not inconceivable” she could back independence herself to keep Scotland in the EU before backtracking in the face of a unionist backlash.

Mr Martin said Brexit has left him undecided on independence, but called for a fully informed debate before the nation goes to the polls again.

He rejected First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s call for a referendum in autumn 2018, and urged her to wait until 2021 following the next round of UK and Scottish Parliament elections.

He said by then “we’ll know the shape of the British government, and if the SNP put a referendum in their manifesto and they win then there is no conceivable reason for stopping a referendum”.

He added: “If it was October 2018 I would still vote against independence because you would not have all the facts.”

Mr Martin acknowledged that Scotland currently trades far more with the rest of the UK than the EU, but said its fortunes may trade after Brexit.

“If, by 2021, England has set itself on course to become a declining economy and Europe looks like it might still be a rising economy then it may be strategically more wise to connect ourselves to Europe, rather than England, in the longer term even if there is short term pain,” he said.

“It’s too soon to make these judgments — but for me independence is no longer an ideological issue, it’s a pragmatic decision based on what is the best option for Scotland.”

A Scottish Labour spokesman said: “Kez and David held a long-standing meeting yesterday morning.

“They are both firmly united in their opposition to the Tories’ reckless plans for a hard Brexit and share many people’s frustration with Theresa May’s approach.”

He added: “Both Kez and David have said there should not be a second independence referendum until there is clarity on what Brexit means.

“Kezia Dugdale has been clear that the Labour party she leads will never support independence.”

He said Ms Dugdale will lead a Labour campaign to keep Scotland in the UK in the event of a second referendum.

An SNP spokesman said: “It isn’t surprising that Kezia continues to mull over the independence question. Perhaps it is time for her to show leadership by confirming what many already suspect.”

Scottish Conservative chief whip John Lamont said: “This is yet further evidence of just how weak Labour is when it comes to Scotland’s place in the union…it is only Ruth Davidson and the Scottish Conservatives who can be trusted to stand up against the SNP’s plans to hold an unwarranted and unnecessary referendum.”