Deputy First Minister John Swinney has called on the BBC to continue broadcasting the Scottish Government's daily coronavirus briefings.

Mr Swinney said he would like to see coverage of the briefings remain on BBC Scotland's channels, describing it as a “crucial part of communication” with the public.

From Monday, the broadcaster will decide whether briefings will be televised based on “editorial merit”.

John Swinney wants the BBC to continue its coverage of the Scottish Government's coronavirus news briefings.

The briefings are currently shown live on both BBC One Scotland and the BBC Scotland channel, with some coverage also included as part of BBC Radio Scotland’s Lunchtime Live programme.

But the corporation has taken the decision to scale this back as the business at Holyrood has returned to a more normal basis.

The broadcaster stressed it will take a “consistent approach to coverage of the various government briefings across the UK nations”.

Speaking to the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme, Mr Swinney insisted that many people rely on the broadcast for the latest information and advice on the pandemic.

“It's an important channel because we need to ensure public compliance to the measures that we're taking – we need to get these messages out.

“It's been a crucial part of communication and I would like to see it continue to be broadcast on BBC Scotland channels, because of the importance of getting that message directly to members of the public.”

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John Swinney: BBC Scotland coverage of Nicola Sturgeon's coronavirus briefings ‘crucial’