POLITICS Live has featured an MSP for the first time in nearly a year, despite the BBC's plans to "have a range of guests". 

Anas Sarwar, who is running to become the next Scottish Labour leader – appeared on the show on Monday.

But it's the first time an MSP has appeared on the show in nearly a year, despite footage of the Scottish Parliament appearing on the programme's opening credits.

Labour MSP Monica Lennon appeared on the show on February 24 2020 but an MSP has not featured since.

Ross Greer of the Scottish Greens appeared as a guest on January 28 2019 and out of the 85 episodes broadcast that year, only Scottish MPs featured in 20 of them.

In 2020 there were no MSPs on the panel but 11 episodes with Scottish MPs. Ian Blackford, the SNP's Westminster leader appeared most often on the show – eight times in 2019 and five times in 2020. Kirsty Blackman, the party deputy Westminster leader, was the second most frequent guest listed – twice in 2019 and once in 2020.

The Scottish Conservatives refused to comment while the LibDems, SNP, Greens and Scottish Labour did not respond to The National's request to comment before we went to print.

A spokesperson from the BBC said: "Politics Live always aims to have a range of guests with expertise in or responsibility for the issues of the day, and we ask for MSPs where this applies to them. On Monday, Anas Sarwar MSP appeared on the programme."

The spokesperson told The National that the Politics Live team tried to get a Holyrood minister on today's show ahead of the Scottish Budget but the Scottish Government could not offer anyone and no SNP MSPs were available. SNP MP Drew Hendry will appear on the show instead.

It comes as the SNP urged the BBC to change  its coverage of Scottish Government coronavirus briefings after the programme was branded “overtly political”.

READ MORE: SNP blast BBC's new 'biased' coronavirus briefing show

The SNP’s depute leader Keith Brown wrote to bosses at BBC Scotland with concerns that the show has a “stark bias against the largest party”.

During what is now called the BBC Scotland News Special – previously Coronavirus Update – BBC journalists discuss the country’s Covid-19 response, show part of the First Minister’s briefings, and then cut away for interviews with public health experts and opposition politicians.

The BBC One Scotland coverage started including opposition representatives in September last year, when the corporation U-turned on plans to only broadcast Nicola Sturgeon’s briefings based on “editorial merit”.

READ MORE: Watchdog tells BBC to explain plans for regional representation amid budget cuts

When the broadcaster scrapped the plans, director Donalda MacKinnon told staff they would “incorporate other voices and other perspectives … involving politicians from across the political spectrum”.

The BBC Scotland channel continues to air the briefings in full with no political input at the end.

Now the SNP is “deeply concerned” about the format of the programme – particularly the final 15 minutes where politicians discuss the pandemic response. Last week Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross was featured nearly every day it aired.

Labour’s Anas Sarwar and Sarah Boyack were given interview slots, while the Scottish Greens were represented by Patrick Harvie and Ross Greer.

“To not feature the SNP in that political space is grossly misrepresentative and deeply unfair,” Brown wrote.

Earlier this month, The National reported that the BBC declined to release the details of requests received from politicians pressuring it to end the First Minister’s daily Covid briefings.

READ MORE: BBC rejects FOI request on Nicola Sturgeon briefing complaints

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request, put in last month asked the BBC to divulge the communications amid concern of “undue pressure being applied by certain elected officials to curtail, or suspend the Scottish the briefings”. Rival parties had previously complained the previous gave the SNP leader a political platform. Their requests to stop showing the briefings was rejected by the BBC.

The FOI request asked for the “details of the various exchanges, and the outcome of the requests made by the political parties/individuals, as well as the decisions made by the BBC”. However, in a response passed to The National, the corporation says it is “not obliged to provide this information and will not be doing so”.

READ MORE: BBC Scotland launches new Sunday morning politics show

The BBC cited Part VI of Schedule One of the 2000 Act, which states that the “British Broadcasting Corporation, [is only covered by FOI] in respect of information held for purposes other than those of journalism, art or literature”.

The corporation said in its refusal that the correspondence relating to the First Minister’s briefings is being held for one of these purposes.

The refusal also states: “The BBC is not required to supply information held for the purposes of creating the BBC’s output or information that supports and is closely associated with these activities."

READ MORE: Labour demand probe into FM's Covid briefings over lack of 'political impartiality'

It is unclear why the BBC considers the requested correspondence to be “closely associated” with its broadcasting of the First Minister’s daily coronavirus briefings. The person who passed on the BBC response told The National the “evasive response” showed they had “clearly missed the point regarding wider public interest”.