JOHANN Lamont has been invited to regularly attend the Shadow UK Cabinet by Ed Miliband, The Herald has learned.

The Scottish Labour leader, who has already sat in on two such meetings recently, is expected to join her Westminster colleagues at the next session at the end of this month and attend Shadow Cabinet regularly thereafter.

It appears to be part of the move by the leadership to present the party as One Nation Labour to the voters.

A spokesman for Ms Lamont said: "This shows that Johann is the leader of the whole party in Scotland, MPs as well as MSPs, and it shows how much Ed Miliband values her input."

Despite claims of a turf war at Scottish Labour headquarters, and some internal changes, including the suspension of Rami Okasha, Scottish Labour's communications chief, party sources insist there is now a new unity within the party north of the Border.

In the past, there have been tensions between MPs and MSPs, but the message from Labour HQ is that Ms Lamont is now fully in charge of the Scottish party and that Mr Miliband, who described her this week as an excellent leader, is content with that.