Half of all land in Scotland is still owned by “feudal” private landowners, Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard has told conference.

Describing the matter as “unfinished business”, the Central Scotland MSP pledged “land justice” to end the situation where 432 private landowners still own half of all privately owned land in Scotland.

Mr Leonard also said a Labour government would give more state aid to Scottish businesses instead of foreign-owned companies and called for the creation of a “federal Britain”.

Giving his first address to the party’s UK conference, he said: “Labour has unfinished business on land reform.

“Labour abolished feudalism in the first term of the Scottish Parliament but 20 years later we are still living with feudal ownership.

“And with ownership comes power.

“We need land justice because our Earth is a common treasury.

“We need land ownership in Scotland for the many, not the few.”

Mr Leonard said he wanted more support for home-grown business, after the crisis with marine energy company BiFab, which left communities facing ruin as hundreds of workers were threatened with redundancy earlier this year.

He said reform of state aid for business, known as regional selective assistance (RSA), would prevent foreign-owned companies continuing to benefit from nearly twice as much RSA than Scottish companies.

“We will overhaul RSA  and reform public procurement to support local industries and home-grown businesses,” he said.

“This will mean never again do we see factories and fabrication yards standing idle,  whilst offshore wind farms in UK inshore waters paid for by public money and energy user levies are built in factories and yards overseas.”

Mr Leonard also called for constitutional reform and the creation of a “federal Britain”.

He said: “A federal Britain, with greater powers for the Scottish Parliament, is the radical solution that I want to see.

“We need new powers to reflect the new realities of Brexit, which is why there is a Labour guarantee that devolved powers returning from the European Union will be transferred to the devolved governments and that we will enter a new era of co-determination in a new era of democratic politics.

“Our task is to reinvigorate politics, it is to build up our movement for democracy and socialism.”

Jeremy Corbyn gives a thumbs-up
Jeremy Corbyn said his party would “decide at the time” whether to hold another independence poll (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

It comes after he revealed his party will include a commitment to opposing a second independence referendum in its next manifesto.

Mr Leonard was to say that Scotland does not need another vote on independence, but the election of a Labour government.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn previously said he did not support another referendum but would “decide at the time”.

SNP MSP George Adam said: “These are just more empty words from Labour who have promised federalism-max for years yet consistently failed to deliver it in both government and opposition.

“This is the party that worked hand-in-hand with the Tories to block new powers for the Scottish Parliament, including in crucial areas needed to create a fairer and more equal society, like employment and equality law.

“Labour needs to realise that when your actions consistently fail to live up to your promises, people stop believing you.”