Cabinet secretary for finance John Swinney and his Labour equivalent Iain Gray will fight it out for the allegiance of Scotland’s small businesses at a debate in Edinburgh on Wednesday.

Coming hot on the heels of Monday night’s debate between Scotland’s first minister Alex Salmond and Better Together chief Alistair Darling, the event will be seen in the context of the upcoming vote on Scotland’s independence.

The event is organised by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) in Scotland, which has 19,000 members north of the border.

A recent survey of Scottish members by the group revealed that 27 per cent were “very excited” about the prospect of independence, although 54 per cent described themselves as “very concerned” about the potential ramifications of a yes vote.

FSB policy convenor Andy Wilcox said small businesses employ half of the Scottish workforce, meaning the debate had relevance for more than just small business owners.

The Scotsman newspaper reported him as saying: “With finance and the economy so key to the whole independence debate, we’re delighted that the Scottish Parliament’s top money men will be making their case direct to our members.

“They are both hugely experienced politicians and I’m sure we’re going to have a high-quality debate. We know that our members are hungry for facts – two in five say that better referendum information could sway their vote, so there could be plenty of votes up for grabs on the night.”