SIR Keir Starmer is to outline a new devolution deal for Holyrood in a bid to revive Labour's electoral fortunes north of the border.

With a Scottish election in five months, the UK Labour leader will deliver a major speech on the constitution next week.

It comes as some in Scottish Labour are calling pushing for the Scottish Parliament to be given far more tax and spending powers under a “Devo Max” plan.

The change would be linked to a shift towards a more federal UK, with reform of the House of Lords and greater devolution to the regions of England.

Sir Keir will set out the “new offer” when he delivers the John P Mackintosh lecture for Edinburgh University by video on Friday December 11.

The lecture is named after the late Scottish Labour MP who advocated devolution in the 1960s and 1970s.

A Labour official todl the Daily Record: "The will be a major speech on devolution and the future of Scotland in a modern United Kingdom.

"This is about Keir showing himself as a future UK Prime Minister who values devolution and would further devolution in stark contrast to the current PM who calls it a disaster north of the border."

It comes as Scottish Labour struggles in the polls, and faces the loss of more of its MSPs at next May’s Holyrood election.

An Ipsos/Mori poll earlier this week put SNP support in the constituency vote at 55 per cent among decided voters, with the Scottish Tories on 22%, Scottish Labour on 14%, and the Scottish Liberal Democrats 6%.

Excluding don’t knows, the SNP had 47% on the regional lists, the Tories 22%, Labour 16%, the Scottish Greens 7% and the Scottish LibDems 6%. 

On those figures, the SNP would win an outright majority in 2021, with 73 MSPs (+10 on 2016), the Tories would have 27 (-4), and Labour 19 (-5).

Scottish Labour has failed to make headway under leader Richard Leonard more than three years ago, but remains largely unknown to the electorate.

It has also struggled to carve out a constitutional position.

Mr Leonard has said he will oppose Indyref2 in the next parliamentary term, but Mr Starmer refused to rule out supporting another referendum in September.

The Scottish Tories claimed Labour were planning to cave in to SNP demands for Indyref2.

Leader Douglas Ross said: “Just weeks after Scottish Labour ruled out working with my party to stop the Nationalists, they’re looking to appease the SNP and give in on Indyref2.

“They never put the Union first. They would rather work with the SNP than fight to stop them trying to divide the country all over again next year.

“Only the Scottish Conservatives have the strength to stand up to the SNP and stop their push for a second independence referendum.”