Scottish Labour leadership candidate Ken Macintosh has challenged his rival for the Scottish Labour leadership to a live, head-to-head televised debated.

The Eastwood MSP said this would give party members a proper insight into their policy differences.

He wants to quiz rival Kezia Dugdale directly because he believes it is the best way to expose the significant differences in their plans for the party and their style of leadership.

His team has already approached STV and BBC Scotland to ask if they would be prepared to stage a live debate.

The challenge is published today in a blog posted on Mr Macintosh's campaign website in which he claims to be the only candidate championing the kind of change necessary to revive Labour's fortunes in Scotland.

He proposes a distinctly Scottish anti-austerity agenda to deliver the kind of investment necessary to drive forward the Scottish economy; an end to the centrally imposed freeze on council tax to return decision making over budgets to local authorities; and a redefining of the relationship between Scottish Labour and trade unions.

Writing today Mr Macintosh says: "Labour members don't want a low-key contest where issues are not properly debated and the reasons for the party's catastrophic defeat at the general election are not properly questioned and analysed.

"That's the least we owe our loyal party members and I believe the only way we can do that effectively is for myself and Kezia to go head-to-head, live on television to set out our positions."