Scottish Labour leadership candidate Neil Findlay has insisted the party must have "more autonomy" over policy.

Former leader Johann Lamont resigned from the role last month, accusing Westminster colleagues of treating the party in Scotland like a "branch office".

Her resignation forced the leadership contest, with MSP Mr Findlay, MP Jim Murphy and MSP Sarah Boyack all in the running to take over the position.

Mr Findlay told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show today: "The party has to have more autonomy over policy - over policies like, we should be able to take the railways back into common ownership in Scotland, I think we should do that.

"I think there's opportunities for us, for example, to bring PFI contracts back in-house. These are issues that the Scottish Labour Party could make decisions over and should make decisions over and if that's different from the Labour Party at a UK level, then so be it, if that is in the best interests of Scotland."

Speaking after the show, in which he also said he opposed the renewal of Trident nuclear weapons, he added: "Defence is, and has to be, a reserved issue, but there is nothing wrong with the Scottish Labour Party making the case inside the wider Labour Party and, in due course, inside Government that the UK doesn't need and can't afford nuclear weapons. That's what I'll do.

"Unlike the nationalists I don't just want to shift the UK's nuclear weapons - I want to see them dismantled and the enormous amount of money they cost put to better use."

Meanwhile, Mr Murphy has called for cross-party talks on supporting Scotland's elderly population.

Writing in today's Sunday Times, he said: "Sometimes in public life pressures come from welcome news - perhaps the best illustration of that is that many more of us are living longer. It's a cause for celebration, but it also brings consequences.

"Over the next decades the pensioner population in Scotland is set to grow at a pace that is out of kilter with the trends in the working age population. That means more older people requiring care and support; and fewer younger people paying tax to meet the growing pressure on our public services. The demographic pressures are less acute south of the border as higher immigration has brought with it a younger workforce.

"So many areas of public policy will be affected by this - our NHS, personal care for the elderly, local authority services, pensions, bus passes and more. We can't look at any one element of our public services in isolation.

"There are no easy solutions to this good news. No politician should claim to have all of the answers. It will require the ideas, expertise and energy of everyone in politics - and many from outside.

That's why if I'm elected Scottish Labour leader I will invite Scotland's new First Minister and the other party leaders to meet and work together to develop a long term plan."

SNP MSP Bill Kidd said: "Neil Findlay might now claim he is opposed to Trident renewal, but the fact is that this is just one of many issues his party find themselves hamstrung on - with any opposition from Labour in Scotland likely to be stamped on by the party in London.

"He may want to believe that Labour in Scotland have a position against Trident renewal, but both in Holyrood and Westminster Labour have toed the Westminster line and voted for renewal time and time again.

"By contrast, a Westminster Labour Government forced to rely on SNP votes would have to think again on Trident renewal.

"This is just one of many issues on which there is a huge opportunity for Scotland in next year's general election - the opportunity to elect a strong block of SNP MPs elected next year to ensure that Scotland holds the balance of power at Westminster.

"The stronger our voice, the greater the influence Scotland has at Westminster."