KEZIA Dugdale's launch of a campaign in support of single market membership on the eve of Scottish Labour's conference will do precious little for party unity.

Dugdale's party critics believe the intervention is motivated by a desire to undermine her successor Richard Leonard.

However, regardless of her intentions, Dugdale's campaign message does have genuine merit. Although, it would be churlish not to give Jeremy Corbyn some credit for his recent policy shift, giving backing for the UK being in a permanent customs union with the EU after Brexit, Dugdale is correct to point out that single market membership represents the best chance of protecting jobs, mitigating austerity and defending workers’ rights.

Dugdale's successor Leonard, while mirroring Corbyn's position, has said he is happy for the option advocated by Dugdale to be voted on at Scottish Labour's conference this week.

For this, he deserves credit in contrast to some of his predecessors who were all too happy to seek to marginalise opposing voices in the party, most notably over opposition to the Iraq war at the 2003 Scottish Labour conference.

It may well be that Dugdale's position on Brexit is merely an opportunity for her and her allies to cause the maximum amount of political mayhem for Leonard. However, we hope that when rank and file Labour members vote on the issue this week, that they will consider the case purely on the merits of the existential need for this country to remain as closely linked to our European neighbours as possible.