A Scottish daily is to give its readers a chance to quiz top politicians directly in a series of online debates.

The Scotsman is hosting the first debate on its website next Tuesday with Secretary of State for Scotland Jim Murphy in the hot seat.

Readers will be able to put their questions to Mr Murphy in an hour-long question and answer session hosted on scotsman.com.

scotsman.com editor Alan Greenwood says: “We are delighted to begin what we hope will be a series of lively discussions with Scotland’s key decision-makers.

“Scotland is at the forefront of debate in the UK and on the international stage so this live debate couldn’t be more timely.

“The site has long been a forum for political debate. However, this is the first time that a leading politician will come face-to-face with our audience.”