Lisa Nandy, one of the Labour leadership contenders, has come under fire from the SNP over what it claimed were her “anti-democratic remarks” in opposing another referendum on Scottish independence.

What also inflamed Nationalist sentiment was the Wigan MP’s reference to "narrow, divisive Nationalism" in Catalonia, where, the SNP insisted, an independence movement had been suppressed by violence and the imprisoning of democratically-elected leaders.

Ms Nandy, quizzed by the BBC’s Andrew Neil, made clear she was not in favour of indyref2, not even if the SNP secured a majority in the 2021 Holyrood elections, saying the “job now is to pull together as a nation and start dealing with the challenges we face”.

Referring to her proposal for an international commission to consider examples of social justice defeating Nationalism, the former Shadow Energy Secretary said: “Rather than turn inwards and argue about resources, we should look outwards to other countries and other parts of the world, where they’ve had to deal with divisive Nationalism and seek to discover the lessons from when, in those brief moments in history in places like Catalonia and Quebec, we have managed to go and beat narrow, divisive nationalism with a social justice agenda.”

But Tommy Sheppard for the SNP hit out, saying Ms Nandy’s remarks showed how “hopelessly out of touch” Labour was with Scotland.

Noting how there was a “running anti-democratic theme dominating the Labour leadership contest,” the Edinburgh MP accused Ms Nandy of "lurching so far to the extremes by condoning violence and imprisonment as a way to oppose independence".

At First Minister’s Questions, Nicola Sturgeon suggested the Labour MP had “not paid attention” to what had happened in Catalonia and, if she had, “she would surely not have suggested there are any positive lessons at all to be learned from that”.

The FM called on Ms Nandy to "clarify exactly what she did mean, recognise the concern it has caused and perhaps even apologise for that".

Ms Nandy’s office drew attention to the MP's blog as a response to the SNP’s criticism.

In it, she refers to Donald Trump’s “America First” slogan, saying just as this had found resonance with many Americans, so there were “those here who maintain a retreat into narrow Nationalism will help resolve the issues we face as if the sovereignty of a nation should be defined by aggressive opposition to its closest neighbour”.

Stressing how socialists in Catalonia had for years been “peacefully resisting the advance of separatists,” Ms Nandy adds: “There are hopeful signs their approach of socialism and solidarity – which stands in stark contrast to the unjustified violence...from the Spanish police operating under the instruction of Spain’s then right-wing Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy – may yet win out.”