Jeremy Corbyn has said he is disappointed to have lost the support of Labour's leader in Scotland, but he ruled out a split if he continues as national party leader.
Mr Corbyn insisted "the Scottish party is not going to split off from the UK party", and said he would continue to work with Kezia Dugdale despite her support for his rival Owen Smith.
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The Labour leader brought his campaign to defend his position to Scotland this week.
Mr Smith accused him of taking Labour backwards in Scotland in a hustings event in Glasgow on Thursday night, after Scottish Labour finished third behind the Conservatives in the Holyrood election in May.
Labour supporters laughed and jeered at the hustings when Mr Smith suggested Ms Dugdale "is doing a brilliant job" in Scotland.
Speaking in Edinburgh today, Mr Corbyn urged Labour supporters to show respect to Ms Dugdale.
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He said: "I don't think anyone should jeer at anyone else. I don't do that myself and have asked other people not to and made it very, very clear - let's have an honest, open and respectful debate."
He deferred questions on whether Ms Dugdale should face a leadership challenge north of the border.
"It's not my decision whether she face a challenge or not, that's a matter for the Scottish Labour Party, and her," he said.
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"I have worked very well with Kezia ever since she was elected to lead. We have been on many campaign visits together, we've spoken very often about many aspects of Scottish politics.
"She had the courtesy to tell me that she wasn't going to be supporting me in this election before she announced her support for Owen Smith. Naturally I'm disappointed in that but it's no more than a disappointment.
"I'll be happy to work with her after this election and we will work together because we're in the same party, we're in the Labour Party, we want to see a better society."
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He added: "The Scottish party is not going to split off from the UK party. The party is the Labour Party in Scotland, it is the Scottish Labour Party, and we have a devolved situation where the leader of the Scottish Labour Party is elected by the Labour Party members in Scotland.
"I'm the leader of the UK Labour Party and obviously I have to work in co-operation with the leader of the Scottish party and I'm very happy to do that."
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