SCOTTISH voters should face a second referendum on whether or not Holyrood needs more powers if they reject independence in the promised first poll, Johann Lamont, the Scottish Labour leader, suggested yesterday as she announced her party is to embark on a year-long review of devolution.

At the Scottish Labour conference in Dundee, Ms Lamont will today tell the party faithful they "got the kind of beating we deserved" in last year's Holyrood election.

Making her conference debut as the party's leader, she will give details of the internal commission that will look at how devolution should change and what further powers should be devolved to the Scottish Parliament.

Yesterday in a BBC interview, Ms Lamont, who stressed the issues of independence and extra powers for Holyrood were distinct, was asked that if Scots rejected the former in a poll, would they then face the latter in another referendum. She replied: "I'm certainly clear that if the devolution debate produces a series of proposals, which are radical around the constitution, then, yes, we would wish that to be put to the people of Scotland."

This throws up the possible scenario that if the referendum envisaged by First Minister Alex Salmond goes ahead in the autumn of 2014 – and Scots vote to reject independence – then there would follow not only the UK General Election in May 2015 but also a possible second referendum on extra powers in the autumn of 2015 and then the Scottish parliamentary elections in May 2016; in other words, four polls in just 18 months.

Ms Lamont was adamant her party would not be forced into a corner on the issue of granting more powers to Holyrood and rejected any notion Labour was "conservative on the constitution" because it rejected separatism. "Labour has driven the way on the constitution," she said.

She was asked if Labour – in opposing a "devo-max" question on the independence referendum ballot paper – was not "falling behind the curve ball" on the constitution. The party leader rejected the assertion, arguing: "The test for me is not a virility test on how many more powers we get for the Scottish Parliament; the test for me is how we make power work most effectively to take economic opportunity and social equality."

In her speech today, Ms Lamont will say: "Devolution can't just mean powers going from London to Edinburgh. If we believe in devolution, we must be more radical than that and ask at which level should power lie if we are to serve the people; our test is what is in the best interests of the people of Scotland."

Elsewhere, an Ipsos Mori poll of 1000 people showed 59% wanted to see a "devo-max" option on the independence ballot paper while 37% wanted just one question asked.

The Herald has been told by Coalition sources the issue of a second question is a "red line" for David Cameron. The Prime Minister believes such an option would confuse matters and inevitably lead to a legal challenge.

Deputy leader Anas Sarwar told the conference there was a "yawning gulf between patriotism and nationalism". He said: "If our opponents believe they can win a referendum by challenging our patriotism then it is them that are letting Scotland down."

He added: "The First Minister claims post-separation Scotland would move from being a surly lodger to a good neighbour with England. But he forgets that you can't be a lodger in a home that you helped build."

l Anti-sectarian laws introduced this week are flawed and the Scottish Government has failed to listen to complaints about its plans to reform the police and fire services, the conference was told.

Justice spokesman Lewis Macdonald said the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications Bill tackled an issue on which "most of us really wanted the SNP Scottish Government to get it right, they got it wrong".

He said ministers had "failed to listen" and warned the same was happening with the Police and Fire Bill, which will cut the services to single national forces.