Leonard promises return to vision of 'Red Clydeside'

“We have twenty days to make history. We may never get this chance again,” he said.

However he faced questions about the party’s position on Europe after vowing Scotish Labour would campaign against Jeremy Corbyn’s new Brexit deal in a second EU referendum.

He also said he would not resign if Scottish Labour suffered losses on December 12, compounding its reversals in the European election in May.

Launching the Scottish Labour manifesto in the Gorbals in Glasgow, Mr Leonard evoked the spirit of Labour’s Scottish pioneers in the early decades of the 20th century.

He said: “It was recently claimed that we are no longer the party of Red Clydeside.

“Well I say, Read this manifesto. Look at these ideas on housing, on a living wage, on public ownership, on tackling overty and inequality. 

“We are the inheritors of the policy ideas of Wheatley and of Maxton, of Jennie Lee and Mary Barbour. And we are proud to be their inheritors.”

Speaking afterwards, he said the comparison was apt as Scotland today faced many of the same problems of the Red Clydeside era.

He said: “This manifesto contains proposals that the Red Clydesiders would be proud of because it commits us to a massive house-building programme, it talks about the need to introduce a living wage. It looks at the need to raise people into dignity who are in retirement. 

“How do we stop the growth in child poverty and inequality? These are all things which are problems for us today that we need to tackle.

“We want to see a shift in the balance of power in the economy. There needs to be a rebalancing of the burden of taxation in our economy. 

“At the moment people who go out to work are taxed at a higher rate than those who accumulate wealth through share dividends, for example.

“We are saying that big corporations need to pay more tax. 

“We want to see the restoration of a more fair form of taxation.”

He denied harking back to Labour history instead of thinking about contemporary life.

He said: “We are recalling the values and the challenges that people faced back in the 1920s and 1930s, and I tell you, some of the challenges they faced are the ones we face today.

“We’ve got one in four children in Scotland living in poverty. We’ve got a real housing emergency and a lack of investment in public housing. We’ve got rising levels of inequality. 

“In Scotland today the richest 1 per cent own more personal wealth than the whole of the poorest 50% put together. These are enduring challenges which we face as a Labour party and they are ones which we are hoping to rise to.”

In the most passionate section of his 25-minute speech to candidates and activists, Mr Leonard stressed the importance of Labour wins in Scotland to Mr Corbyn’s prospects.

He said: “Through the din of Brexit and separatism we will make this agenda heard. We have 20 days to elect Labour MPs from Scotland. 

“Because that is what will make the difference between the election of a majority Labour Government or not. 

“For the avoidance of doubt, there is no short cut to the election of a Labour government by voting for any other party. 

“If you want a Labour government, you need to go out and vote for Labour.”

On Brexit, he said: “Labour is the only party in this election putting the choice back to the people on Brexit with a Remain option on the ballot paper. 

“And for the avoidance of doubt, Scottish Labour will campaign for Remain.”

Pressed on the division with Mr Corbyn's agnostic position, he said: “We see the best outcome for the whole of the UK and certainly for the people in Scotland as being to remain in a reformed European Union.

“That will be the stance we will take. When that choice is put back to the Scottish people we will campaign flat out to secure a remain vote.

“I won’t be on the other side from him [Mr Corbyn], I will be campaigning for a positive outcome.”