BBC bosses have today come under renewed pressure to introduce a new hour-long “Scottish Six” news programme after MPs backed the idea of the flagship bulletin being edited, presented and broadcast entirely from Scotland.

The Scottish Government has insisted the BBC should "catch up" with increased devolution and enable its Scottish operation to have greater control over decision-making, budgets and staffing but its political opponents fear any diminution of UK-wide coverage could be used by the SNP administration to promote its independence agenda.

READ MORE: BBC brushes aside fears of downgrading of Scottish voice and insists shake-up will mean seat at "top table"

The contentious issue of replacing both the Six O'Clock News and Reporting Scotland with a single 60-minute programme has been long-running.

Renewed consideration of a shake-up has come in the wake of more powers for Holyrood and that the BBC's main Six O'Clock News programme often features stories, such as on health and education, which have no direct relevance to a Scottish audience.

Consequently, the corporation has drawn up three options for a new format.

The first would be a slightly tweaked version of the status quo with the main UK and international stories presented from London and the Scottish ones from Glasgow.

READ MORE: BBC brushes aside fears of downgrading of Scottish voice and insists shake-up will mean seat at "top table"

The second would be a news programme containing Scottish, UK and international news with “a running order based on editorial news values” and broadcast entirely from Scotland.

The third would be a hybrid, involving two studios with the programme “topped and tailed in Scotland”; the Scottish presenter would introduce Scottish items and the programme would then cross to a London studio for UK and international news.

In a report on the renewal of the BBC’s charter, members of the cross-party Commons culture, media and sport committee have come down in favour of the second option.

READ MORE: BBC brushes aside fears of downgrading of Scottish voice and insists shake-up will mean seat at "top table"

On the third hybrid option, they argued the cost of running two studios for a single broadcast was “needless extravagance”.

They explained: “There is also a danger the programme will look patronising to a Scottish audience. It is perfectly reasonable for editorial decisions on the running order for television news broadcasts in Scotland to be made in Scotland, as they are already for radio.”

Stressing how a different Scottish running order could easily be accommodated within the BBC’s news structure, the MPs concluded: “We, therefore, recommend BBC Scotland proceed with option two as proposed: a news programme anchored in Scotland, with a running order of Scottish, UK and international stories based on news merit, drawing on all the BBC’s facilities, and broadcast from Scotland.”

READ MORE: BBC brushes aside fears of downgrading of Scottish voice and insists shake-up will mean seat at "top table"

Recently, Ken MacQuarrie, the director of BBC Scotland, told MPs that he had not yet decided on a preferred option and that more pilots would be carried out later in the year.

John Nicolson, the SNP’s media spokesman, who sits on the committee, said he was “very happy” with its recommendation for what he called “an independent Scottish Six”.

The former BBC presenter claimed his contacts within the corporation had told him that the MPs' recommended option was regarded as the “most coherent, impressive and professional”.

He said the broadcaster now had to make up its own mind but the committee was clear that a Scottish Six would be a “rational devolution of power from the BBC in London to Scotland”.

Mr Nicolson added: “It would drive up standards, increase opportunities for journalists in Scotland and build on viewing figures. We need a grown-up news programme.”

Jackson Carlaw, the Scottish Conservatives’ culture spokesman, said he now expected the SNP to push for as much as it could regarding proposals for a new Scottish Six.

“Nationalists will very much see this as an opportunity to shove propaganda down the throats of a dinner-time viewing public north of the border,” he declared.

“But,” he added, “we must remember that many people are very happy with the current set-up and would rather watch UK-wide news covering the whole world than an extension of the current Reporting Scotland.”

Scottish Labour’s Ian Murray stressed that the independence and editorial integrity of the BBC had to be maintained.

"With new powers coming to Holyrood, any proposed changes to the Six O’clock News must balance the need for more in-depth Scottish news coverage with the continuing demand for relevant news stories from the rest of the UK and internationally.

"Whatever the format, the priority must always be on delivering high-quality, informative output," added the party’s Westminster spokesman.

In a statement, the BBC Trust emphasised how decisions about the future structure of the Six O'Clock News programme in Scotland should be free from political influence.

It said: "We recognise this is an important topic on which many audience members have strong views and all aspects of the BBC's performance should be open to public debate. However, it is vital that individual editorial decisions of this sort are made independently by the BBC itself, free from any political pressure or influence."

The Scottish Government was asked for a response to the MPs’ report but none was forthcoming.