Scottish Labour is on a collision course with the UK party after former shadow secretary of state Ian Murray accused Jeremy Corbyn of being "all over the place" on future relations with the SNP.

Mr Corbyn is expected to be re-elected Labour leader today and will appeal to his riven party to show loyalty and attack the Tories instead of itself.

Mr Murray's criticisms, just days before a potential return to Labour's frontbench at Westminster, will widen the already damaging rift in the party north and south of the Border. Scottish leader Kezia Dugdale says there will be no deal with the Nationalists and insists she will fight for the Union.

In an interview with The Herald, Mr Murray, Labour’s only Scottish MP said he still did not know if his party had a settled policy on an alliance.

"I'm not quite sure what the policy is," he said.

Mr Murray's successor as shadow Scottish secretary, Dave Anderson, triggered a furious exchange in Labour ranks when he suggested the party could enter a coalition with the SNP.

The row rumbled on before Mr Corbyn said he was not looking to do a deal with the SNP.

But on a coalition or "pact for progressive politics" with the SNP, Mr Murray yesterday suggested his party was still flirting with the idea.

"I don't know if we do have a settled policy," he said. "We certainly have a settled policy in Scotland. We have been pretty clear. And most sensible people in the Labour Party absolutely know any sort of 'progressive alliance' just harms the Labour Party. I'm not quite sure what the policy is. Jeremy seems to be all over the place on it. And the senior team and the shadow defence secretary seem to be all over the place on it."

He also suggested Mr Corbyn had spoken out before a leadership hustings in Glasgow because he realised the issues was hurting his re-election chances.

"Jeremy talks about a progressive alliance all the time and the only reason he rowed back from it was because when Dave Anderson talked about it in Scotland during the leadership election Jeremy knew that it was harming him pretty badly," he said.

Mr Murray said that the idea had hurt Labour's election chances on both sides of the Border in 2015.

"One of the biggest things that harmed us in England and Wales was the idea of Labour doing a deal with the SNP,” he said.

“And it harmed us in Scotland as well, because people thought 'I can get a Labour government even if I vote for the Nationalists'.”

Labour lost 40 out of 41 Westminster seats to the SNP at last year’s general election.

Arguing for an alliance with the SNP, Mr Anderson said it should be considered "if that is the price that we have to pay to prevent another rabid Right-wing Tory government".

In July a key Corbyn ally, shadow defence secretary Clive Lewis suggested Labour should do a deal with the SNP, Greens and Liberal Democrats because there was a "common set" of values between Labour and other parties, including the SNP.

Aides to Mr Corbyn are understood to have pleaded with the Edinburgh MP to return to the frontbench. Mr Murray has said he could rejoin Mr Corbyn's team if there were elections to the shadow cabinet.

However, it is understood a number of other high-profile Labour MPs will refuse to serve.

Reports suggest MPs are preparing to "co-exist" with Mr Corbyn, without splitting the party.

MPs will this weekend appeal to longstanding members not to desert them if Mr Corbyn wins again, with a "don’t quit, won’t split’ message.

Tom Watson, the party’s deputy leader, tabled proposals for shadow cabinet elections to “get the band back together” at a meeting of the party's ruling body earlier this week.

But Mr Corbyn’s allies countered with a call for wider wider measures across the party, including a larger role for members.

Another meeting of the NEC is due to be held later today (Sat) after the leadership result is announced.

Mr Corbyn has agreed in principle to talks to consider alternative proposals.