The National:

IT’S tricky to explain why Labour have gone from a political superpower to a laughing stock in Scotland.

Not because it’s difficult to find reasons, it’ll just take you ages to list them all.

Under Richard Leonard’s supervision, the party are on track to win just 14% of votes at next year’s election, according to one recent poll.

It’s been reported that the only thing keeping him in the job is the lack of a viable alternative.

But for all of Leonard’s faults, his accent certainly isn’t one of them.

The Yorkshireman came under fire from Tory MP Dehenna Davison, who thinks she knows why Scottish Labour are floundering.

The Bishop Auckland MP, who has previously been linked to far-right groups, tweeted: “Watching @SophyRidgeSky and she is discussing why the Labour Party isn’t doing well in Scotland.

“I think I’ve got to the bottom of it ... The Scottish Labour Leader ... has a broad Lancashire accent. No word of a lie, he sounds like he could be the Speaker’s brother!”

READ MORE: Tory accused of far-right links to sit on Immigration Committee

First of all, Scots couldn’t care less about Leonard’s accent. Secondly, he’s a Yorkshireman, unlike Speaker Lindsay Hoyle.

Justice Minister Humza Yousaf provided a succinct rebuttal to Davison.

READ MORE: Richard Leonard doubles down on Labour's opposition to indyref2

LibDem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton was also appalled, but couldn’t help himself at having a dig at all nationalists.

"Wait, so someone’s accent and where they come from is now a qualifying criteria for leadership of a Scottish political party? So sick of this blood and soil ethnic nationalism," he posted.

Meanwhile, Labour Lancashire MP Cat Smith questioned Davison’s Unionist credentials.

Davison was also criticised by Tory MSP Michelle Ballantyne. She posted: "Scotland is a diverse country whose people talk in a variety of ways. The way @LabourRichard speaks isn't the problem, it's what he says (or rather what he isn't saying). Perhaps if he had been stronger on the union, his MSPs wouldn't feel compelled to demand his resignation."

Leonard himself added: "I came to study @StirUni four decades ago. Scotland has been my home ever since. And it’s a broad Yorkshire accent, as it happens!"

Once again, a politician from south of the Border has exposed their total ignorance when it comes to Scotland.