The commission into the future of Scottish broadcasting, announced yesterday by First Minister Alex Salmond, is to include in its membership one of his Labour predecessors, Henry McLeish.

The commission is to be chaired by Blair Jenkins, former BBC Scotland head of news and current affairs, who resigned in protest over cuts at the corporation.

Scotland Office minister David Cairns accused Mr Salmond of being out of touch with the public by trying to create a "Little Scotland Broadcasting Corporation" with a parochial output.

But that political attack on efforts to have control over broadcasting devolved from Westminster to Holyrood was blunted by the invitation to former Labour first minister Henry McLeish to serve on the commission.

A spokesman for Mr Salmond would only confirm that under the politically independent chairmanship of Mr Jenkins the commission would contain both broadcasting expertise and political diversity.

However, The Herald understands that Mr Mc-Leish has been invited to serve. The former first minister said: "I have said I am not going to comment until after it is officially put out."

The commission is to look at how to reverse a decline in programming north of the border which has seen the network input of both BBC and independent production fall to well below population share.

Mr Salmond criticised BBC director general Mark Thompson, and his opposite number at ITV, the executive chairman Sir Michael Grade.

"Instead of apologising for the