KEZIA Dugdale has said that Jeremy Corbyn would agree to hold a second independence referendum.

The former leader of Scottish Labour has said there is a “serious prospect” the UK Labour leader would give consent for indyref2 if he needed SNP support to form a government following a General Election.

She also predicted Boris Johnson could “gamble” by holding an independence referendum if he becomes PM.

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Dugdale told BBC Scotland’s Podlitical podcast that she believed it was increasingly likely that another referendum would happen – but it was less likely Scots would actually vote for independence.

She described Johnson, who is the favourite to succeed Theresa May as prime minister, as a “gambler” who might “roll the dice on indyref2 because he feels like it”.

“I can see a scenario where the SNP go to Jeremy Corbyn and say we will vote for every one of your budgets in the lifetime of your parliament in return for indyref2,” she said.

“At that point the Labour Party has to decide, does it appease the SNP and give them indyref2 in order to be in power – or does it give up the prospect of being in power in order to protect the Union?”

She said Corbyn would probably choose to “appease the SNP” in that situation.

Dugdale added: “I think it’s a serious prospect, and I don’t say that in any attempt to cause a political drama – although I’m sure some people will perceive it that way.

“It’s hard to see, from my understanding, why he would walk away from power at that moment. I don’t know that to be true, but it’s just my feeling.”

Meanwhile, the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales have joined forces to demand the new prime minister rule out a “disastrous” no-deal Brexit. Nicola Sturgeon and Mark Drakeford said they were both “increasingly alarmed” by the “hardline rhetoric” that had emerged in the leadership contest. Johnson has pledged to take the UK out of the EU by October 31 “do or die”.

While the former London mayor insisted the chance of a no-deal Brexit was “a million to one against”, he left open the option of suspending Parliament if MPs tried to block this. With political leaders from across the UK gathering for the last British Irish-Council meeting before the new PM is selected next month, the duo called on Theresa May’s successor to change tack.

In a joint statement, Sturgeon and Drakeford said they were “becoming increasingly alarmed by the increase in hardline rhetoric about a no-deal Brexit and a debate focused on policy proposals for leaving the EU which have no basis in reality”.

The two politicians said “severe economic damage” was already being done as a result of Brexit, highlighting job losses at British Steel, Ford, Honda, and elsewhere.