A look at former Scottish Labour leader Wendy Alexander - BBC News BBC News A look at former Scottish Labour leader Wendy Alexander By Andrew Black Political reporter, BBC Scotland 17 February 2011 Close share panel Image caption Wendy Alexander is stepping down as an MSP, after being elected to Holyrood in 1999 Wendy Alexander was always regarded as one of Labour's brightest talents. The outspoken former government minister was tipped as a future Scottish Labour leader almost since the beginning of devolution itself. One thing is for sure - Ms Alexander's stormy, 10-month stint doing the job, when she eventually got it, isn't likely to be forgotten any time soon. Elected MSP for Paisley North in 1999, the former management consultant came to public attention when, as a Holyrood minister, she became responsible for abolishing controversial laws banning the promotion of homosexuality in schools. This was the long-running saga over the repeal of Section 28, which dogged the early days of devolution. Ms Alexander, regarded as a protege of the late first minister Donald Dewar and a close ally of Gordon Brown, was an obvious target for the high-profile Keep the Clause campaign.

She focussed on the man behind the group, multi-millionaire and SNP donor Brian Souter, saying there were more important priorities than the transport tycoon's "misguided" efforts, before Labour spin doctors forced her to take a back seat. Ms Alexander advised Mr Dewar during his time as secretary of state for Scotland and was part of the team which drafted the Scotland Act, paving the way for devolution. In the first parliament, she became communities minister and, after Henry McLeish's elevation to first minister, moved into his former position on enterprise. Image caption Wendy Alexander, on the far left, served in Donald Dewar's devolved government She tackled the issue of housing stock transfer - strongly opposed among Glasgow housing groups - and waded into a row involving the senior Australian banker Frank Cicutto. After making comments - which he said had been misinterpreted - that Scotland's economy had been in permanent recession for 200 years, Ms Alexander made a speech at an STUC conference in which she referred to "pesky Aussie put-downs". "Rather than saying Scotland doesn't give a four X, I thought I would start by setting the record straight," she told delegates.

When Mr McLeish quit as first minister following the "muddle not a fiddle" row over expenses for his Westminster constituency office, Ms Alexander considered running to replace him. She surprised many when she decided not to stand and, after Jack McConnell took the job, Ms Alexander had transport added to her responsibilities, becoming known as "minister for everything". She later quit the cabinet after becoming, it is thought, increasingly discontented with her workload and relations with colleagues. Ms Alexander received a thank-you letter from former ministerial colleagues in recognition of her "substantial contribution", but less complimentary about the situation was her MP brother Douglas, himself a former member of the UK government Cabinet. The people of Scotland told us loud and clear they wanted change. They didn't whisper - they shouted it Wendy Alexander on Labour's 2007 election defeat He claimed she had suffered "outrageous" treatment at the hands of the media as a minister and that the power she held was resented. The Alexander siblings had been forced to fight their own image war, against detractors who described them as "the Donnie and Marie Osmond of Scottish politics". Ms Alexander's move to the backbenches, however, did not equate to a drop in profile.

Ms Alexander criticised the Scottish Executive's management of its social justice policy and its efficiency savings drive and eventually became convener of the Scottish Parliament's powerful finance committee. A row also erupted over a leaked letter she wrote to former SNP deputy leader Jim Sillars, in which she said perhaps the last time the Labour movement in Scotland had made "a real intellectual contribution" to the party nationally was in 1906. After the 2007 election, with the SNP in government and Labour out of power for the first time in eight years Ms Alexander finally seized the opportunity to lead her party. Her road to the leadership became less and less rocky by the day as, one by one, possible contenders announced their decisions not to stand, while a challenge from the left of the party failed to attract enough nominations. Ms Alexander, who in the end emerged as the sole candidate, stated: "The people of Scotland told us loud and clear they wanted change. "They didn't whisper - they shouted it. So change we must". Image caption Wendy Alexander was tasked with holding Alex Salmond to account at first minister's questions The mother of twins wasted little time in holding the new SNP administration to account.

Her primary target was Finance Secretary John Swinney - a man with whom she probably sympathised, given his large area of ministerial responsibility. She exemplified this during an eyebrow-raising speech in the Scottish Parliament when she compared him to the hungry caterpillar - a well known children's character - eating his way through announcements on post offices, bridge tolls, welfare and fairness, transport and energy policy. "That night he had a stomach ache," she told MSPs. But just a few months into the job, the leadership was rocked by an episode which it, and the party, could have done without. Ms Alexander's leadership election campaign team had accepted an illegal £950 donation from Jersey-based businessman Paul Green, which broke the rules because he was not a UK voter. She soldiered on, refusing to resign under intense pressure from the SNP, insisting she was confident of being cleared by the Electoral Commission watchdog. 'Bring it on' The resignation at the time of Peter Hain as UK Work and Pensions Secretary to "clear his name," as the police investigated more than £100,000 of undeclared donations to his deputy Labour leadership campaign, added to the pressure.

Ms Alexander was eventually cleared by the Electoral Commission, concluding she took significant steps to comply with the law - but did not take "all reasonable steps". The SNP claimed the finding was a whitewash. Ms Alexander used her time as leader to attack "SNP broken promises" - key manifesto commitments which she said had been dropped. Image caption Ms Alexander resigned after a row over her leadership campaign finances Then there was the "bring it on" episode, where, during a live BBC interview, Ms Alexander called on the SNP to bring forward their planned independence referendum. It was a bold move, but led to suggestions of a rift between her and the prime minister, who did not overtly back her. And the donations row would come back to haunt Ms Alexander. In a separate issue, the Crown Office said she would not be prosecuted over failing to register donations on the MSPs' register of interests. Ms Alexander insisted she was initially told she did not need to register the donations, after seeking advice from the clerk to the Scottish Parliament's standards committee. But when the committee decided she did break the rules, it recommended she be banned from parliament for one day.

With Holyrood going into summer recess at the time, Ms Alexander would have had to wait until September for all MSPs to vote on the recommendation. So, rather than having the issue hanging over her - and the party - Ms Alexander announced her resignation as leader on 28 June, 2008, branding the cross-party committee's decision "partisan". After a period of relative calm, Ms Alexander got the opportunity to lead the special Holyrood committee scrutinising new powers for the Scottish Parliament. The UK government proposals were the result of the Calman Commission review of devolution 10 years on - an idea on which Ms Alexander led the way, during her brief time in the leadership and is, in a way, her legacy to Scottish politics. The inquiry was slightly side-tracked when the old Wendy attacking style once again came to the fore. Two academics asked for an inquiry after claiming their integrity was compromised by a tough line of questioning from Ms Alexander, while giving evidence to the committee. A complaint to Holyrood's presiding officer by the two professors fizzled out after it was referred to the committee convener - one Wendy Alexander. She may have considered then whether there was any merit in standing for re-election.

In 2009, Ms Alexander's leadership successor Iain Gray predicted her political comeback, saying at the time: "Wendy is somebody who still has a big future in Scottish politics." But, with her dream of a strengthened Scottish Parliament set to become a reality and growing children at home, the time seemed right for Wendy Alexander to call it a day as an elected member at the next election, and help make way for the next generation of Labour MSPs. Britain: Scottish Labour Party leader Wendy Alexander resigns - World Socialist Web Site World Socialist Web Site Published by the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) Britain: Scottish Labour Party leader Wendy Alexander resigns By Steve James and Niall Green 1 July 2008 Wendy Alexander’s resignation from the leadership of the Scottish Labour Party has plunged the party even deeper into a bitter internal conflict. Her departure, after only 10 months in the post, is a marker of a party in total disarray and facing electoral disaster wherever it stands. The resignation comes days after the party was pushed into fifth place behind the Greens and fascist British National Party in the Henley by-election, with Labour losing its deposit.

Another by-election is due to be called in the formerly safe Labour seat of Glasgow East, where a large swing away from Labour can be expected. The immediate trigger for Alexander quitting was a report by the Scottish parliament’s Standards Commissioner, Jim Dyer, which concluded that she had broken parliamentary rules by not registering a £950 donation from Jersey businessman Paul Green prior to her bid to win the Scottish party leadership position in 2007. The parliament’s Standards Committee, led by Scottish National Party members, concluded that Alexander should be suspended from parliament for one day. As the decision fell at the end of the parliamentary session, the matter will not be debated until September when, should any suspension be upheld, Alexander would only actually be excluded from sitting in the Holyrood parliament for one half day. Although the amounts in question are fairly trivial, and Alexander reportedly only raised £17,000 in total to contest her unchallenged leadership bid, the inability of Labour to raise even small sums of money from any but corporate sources has again been exposed. She is charged with seeking to conceal the donation’s origins by keeping it under a £1,000 reporting threshold and, erroneously, suggesting that it came from a Glasgow-based company.

Alexander has claimed that she did in fact seek advice from parliamentary clerks, who assured her the donation was acceptable. She is the second leader of the last three leaders of the Scottish Labour Party to resign over financial irregularities. She replaced Jack McConnell as Labour leader, following Labour’s disastrous showing in the 2007 Scottish elections, when McConnell was replaced by the SNP’s Alex Salmond as Scottish First Minister. McConnell’s predecessor in both positions was Henry McLeish who resigned following what was famously described as a “muddle not a fiddle” in local campaign office accounting. The Sunday Herald, who first reported the story on Alexander, was apparently alerted to the situation by sources within the Labour Party with axes to grind. Her resignation comes only two months after she announced on TV an apparent reversal of Labour Party policy over their attitude to the SNP government’s proposal for a referendum on Scottish independence. On taking power in 2007, the SNP announced that they would bring a bill for a referendum before the Scottish parliament in 2010. Speaking on the BBC’s “Politics Show” on May 4, Alexander suggested that Salmond should “bring it on” and hold a referendum soon.

Her statement followed months of discussion within the Labour Party in Westminster and Holyrood, the Scottish parliament. Elements within Labour hoped that by calling a referendum via Westminster, perhaps as early as early 2009 and with the timing and wording set at Labour’s convenience, independence would be decisively rejected. Support for independence regularly polls only around 30 percent of the electorate, despite growing electoral support for the SNP. The SNP, aided by the middle class radical organisations, has constructed something of a left veneer for itself and has benefited from the collapse of support for Labour. This is despite the longstanding support for the SNP from sections of business, the increasing enthusiasm for accelerated devolution from sections of the Edinburgh financial establishment, and the SNP’s preference for investment oriented tax-cutting policies. However, Alexander’s statement, in the immediate aftermath of Labour’s calamitous results in local government elections in England and Wales, took a distinctly different line. In pressing for Salmond to call a vote, she effectively took a position on the constitutional question of whether the Holyrood government has a right to call a referendum that could ultimately break up the UK.

Under conditions of Labour’s electoral meltdown, sections of the party realised that a referendum could deliver a result far more favourable to the SNP than they intended. Moreover, Alexander had opened up Brown to attack for threatening the existence of the United Kingdom, particularly from the Murdoch press. It was a gift to the Conservatives, who were already registering body blows against Labour in the local elections and with Boris Johnson’s defeat of Ken Livingstone in the contest for London Mayor. Alexander was rapidly isolated by her former close ally, Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Other Scottish MPs at Westminster and much of the Scottish media were scathing towards Alexander. One senior Labour source described her call for a referendum as “harebrained” while Scottish Labour group convenor at Westminster, Ann McKechin MP, dismissed the matter, saying, “tactically, what is decided at Holyrood is a matter for Wendy.” In the end, a compromise of sorts was reached between Alexander and Brown, with Labour “reserving the right” to oppose a bill on independence in the Scottish Parliament.

But while Alexander dropped the demand on the SNP for an immediate referendum when it became obvious that no other party at Holyrood would support the measure, with little else to counter the SNP’s referendum proposal she soon revived it. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s flagship political discussion programme “Any Questions?” on June 20, Alexander again urged the SNP government in Scotland to bring forward their plans for a plebiscite. Responding to her call to “get on with it,” SNP deputy leader Nicola Sturgeon, also appearing on the show, said her party was committed to its timetable of moving a referendum bill through the Scottish Parliament in 2010. Underlying Alexander’s position is a mixture of desperation at Labour’s eclipse by the SNP, and a belief that with Labour looking set to be out of office in Westminster by 2010 it is time for Scottish Labour to distance itself from the Brown government. In addition is the growth in support among the Scottish elite for increased powers for Holyrood, particularly in setting a lower corporation tax as the SNP advocates. There has been a shift among the three main opposition parties in Scotland—Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives.

When Alexander was elected, one of her first moves was to establish Labour north of the border as an advocate of more powers for the Scottish parliament, up to and including fiscal autonomy. Senior figures in the three parties agreed in September 2007 to establish a joint commission on extending the parliament’s powers. The commission was finally established earlier this year, with Alexander’s support, under academic Sir Kenneth Calman, with a brief that only excluded independence. All these pressures have intensified over the last weeks with the realisation amongst the Scottish elite that the rapidly escalating price of oil gives them a potentially huge source of new revenue. The Sunday Times May 18 reported that according to a new survey carried out by Grant Thornton, an accountancy firm, Scotland is “sitting on a gold mine.” Grant Thornton claim that an independent, or fiscally autonomous, Scotland would be able to cut corporation tax to 12.5 percent, cut personal income tax by 5 percent, and still have a £2 billion surplus to spend on an investment fund.

The survey was based on extrapolating from the government’s own 2006 figures, which suggested that Scotland would run a £6 billion deficit if revenues raised were subtracted from central government funding handed over under the current funding formula. Since then, the price of oil has more than doubled. When the Sunday Times article was written it was at $120. In the last few days it has reached $142. Alexander’s final radio statement sealed her political fate. A phone call from Brown in the aftermath of the Standards Committee decision was less than supportive and may well have been the final push. But the resignation resolves none of the tensions within a Labour Party that is now fracturing on regional lines. Writing in the Sunday Herald, journalist Iain McWhirter noted Alexander’s “neo-nationalism” approvingly. He went on, “Whoever takes over from Alexander will have to accept the logic of her political analysis; there really is no alternative.

If she is replaced by a stooge, who rejects the independence referendum, neuters the Calman Commission and tries to play by the London rules, then Labour really is doomed in Scotland.” The Scotland on Sunday, on the other hand, reported that Labour MPs in Westminster were likely to oppose any new leader in Scotland who sought to continue Alexander’s position on the referendum, and predicted a “bloodbath” over the summer as the rival factions fought the matter out. The comments by former Scottish Labour leader Henry McLeish in the Guardian crystallise the range of difficulties now facing Labour. He said that whoever replaced Alexander should ditch her call for the SNP to hold an early referendum, but continued to insist that Scottish Labour must be seen to be independent from Labour nationally.

“Brown should accept the ‘new politics’ in Scotland,” the Guardian reported, “and allow a ‘distinctive Scottish Labour perspective’ to develop.” “Westminster has not been good in allowing that to happen,” he continued, “Labour doesn’t acknowledge fully the success of the SNP in being ruthlessly Scottish, distinctively Scottish and not having to look over their shoulder to Westminster day in, day out.” Double blow to Brown in Scotland after Wendy Alexander resigns | The Independent Double blow to Brown in Scotland after Wendy Alexander resigns Saturday 28 June 2008 23:00 BST Click to follow Indy Politics Gordon Brown faces a troubled summer struggling to retain authority in his own heartland after he failed in a last-ditch attempt to prevent his leader in Scotland resigning. Wendy Alexander's departure sparked a desperate search for a new Labour leader in the Scottish Parliament. She stood down after breaking rules on donations, even though officials had advised that the 10 donations that had already been published did not need to be declared to the parliament. It emerged last night that Mr Brown tried in vain to persuade Ms Alexander to stay.

The Prime Minister's difficulties deepened following the news that Glasgow East Labour MP David Marshall is to resign, sparking a difficult by-election against a buoyant Scottish National Party (SNP). The fresh uncertainty in Scotland, where Labour lost its hold on power a year ago, will intensify the pressure on Mr Brown as he attempts to claw back a widening poll gap between his party and the Conservatives. Ms Alexander, a close Brown ally and the sister of Cabinet minister Douglas Alexander, had faced a one-day ban from the Holyrood parliament after failing to register donations to her leadership campaign last year. But she opted to resign her post as Labour leader, rather than endure what she described as a "vexatious" SNP campaign against her. In an emotional resignation statement at Labour's Scottish HQ in Glasgow, Ms Alexander said she had been the victim of a "partisan" decision by the parliament's Standards Committee and claimed there had been a "breach of natural justice".

She added: "I judge this issue has become too much of a distraction from the real issues that should dominate our public life." Mr Brown said Ms Alexander had helped to "rebuild" the Scottish Labour Party after its election defeat last year, and praised "her commitment to devolution and her part in establishing the Scottish Parliament". Opponents claimed the departure was a body blow to Mr Brown's authority, while Tory insiders said it would raise questions over the future of other Labour figures, including the deputy leader, Harriet Harman, who is also under investigation over campaign finances. Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP deputy leader and Scotland's deputy First Minister, said: "While Wendy Alexander has been the author of her own misfortune, there can be no doubt that the information on her illegal campaign donation could only have come from within the inner circles of the Labour Party. Decay from within is characteristic of the decline of the New Labour project, and Ms Alexander's resignation is a symptom." The Scottish Conservative leader Annabel Goldie said: "This resignation is a further body blow for Gordon Brown and Labour, as they lurch from one crisis to another.

Only the Scottish Conservatives offer a credible opposition to the SNP in Scotland." Ms Alexander became the second Scottish Labour chief to fall on the issue of finances, following the 2001 demise of Henry McLeish. Her departure arose over donations to her campaign to replace Jack McConnell as leader last August. Although she was ultimately elected unopposed, she raised donations to fund her campaign. After she was initially told wrongly by clerks to the Standards Committee that it was unnecessary to declare the donations, Ms Alexander updated her register with details of 10 donors, who each gave about £1,000 to her campaign. Last Thursday, the Scottish Parliament's Standards Committee decided, on a split judgement, to recommend that she be suspended from parliament for one day. Although Ms Alexander was talked out of resigning on Friday, following conversations with the Prime Minister and other close colleagues, she finally decided to go yesterday. A close ally said that the decision reflected her unhappiness with the strains of the job rather than an admission that she had done anything wrong. Professor John Curtice, of Strathclyde University, said Ms Alexander's leadership was "not much of a success".

He told BBC Scotland her performances against Alex Salmond in First Minister's Questions had been criticised as weak, and she had contradicted Gordon Brown on the need for a referendum on Scottish independence. Ms Alexander will remain an MSP but her deputy, Cathy Jamieson, has taken over as temporary leader of the Labour group in Parliament. Labour chiefs were last night preparing for a by-election in Glasgow East after Mr Marshall's decision to stand down. Mr Marshall was not available for comment. A career in politics: Astute politician who fell over campaign finances Wendy Alexander is part of a dynasty in the Scottish Labour Party – a woman who made it to the top, despite the macho traditions of politics in her country. Yet, for the second time in a brief career, Wendy Alexander has consigned herself to the political wilderness. It is less than a year since, at the age of 44, she finally became head of the Labour Party in the Scottish Parliament, a position many had expected her to reach years before. Along with her younger brother, Douglas, now a Cabinet minister, Ms Alexander had been a rising star in Scottish Labour politics for almost three decades.

She had made many astute political choices – from becoming a protégée of Scotland's original First Minister, Donald Dewar, to allying herself with the influential cadre surrounding Gordon Brown. A period as a researcher to the then-Labour MP George Galloway gave her contacts across the Labour spectrum. But the elder Alexander was widely regarded as an influential heavyweight in her own right. By the time she finally got the top job, Labour was in opposition. Ms Alexander may have embarrassed Mr Brown over her demand for a referendum on independence, but it was persistent problems with her campaign finances that ultimately dragged her down and, it appears, have ensured she will not make another return. Brian Brady BBC News Online | Scotland | Timeline: Alexander donations row Timeline: Alexander donations row 28 Jun 08 11:02 Wendy Alexander has quit as Scottish Labour leader following a row over donations to her leadership campaign. She was cleared by the Electoral Commission over an illegal donation from Jersey-based businessman Paul Green. Separately, prosecutors decided not to bring a case against Ms Alexander for failing to record gifts to her campaign in the MSPs' register of interests - but Holyrood's standards committee recommended she should be banned from parliament for a day for breaking the rules.

Here is how events unfolded. SATURDAY 28 JUNE, 2008 Ms Alexander makes her resignation statement at the party's Scottish headquarters. THURSDAY 26 JUNE, 2008 The standards committee recommends Ms Alexander be banned from parliament for one day after breaking donation rules. Labour leader faces one-day ban The committee, which spends more than two hours meeting in private, is split on taking action against her, but eventually votes to recommend the ban by four votes to three abstentions. But, with the Scottish Parliament in summer recess, Ms Alexander will have to wait until September to learn her fate, when MSPs are asked to vote on the recommendations. WEDNESDAY 25 JUNE, 2008 The Scottish Parliament's standards committee rules that Wendy Alexander broke parliament rules by failing to register donations on her MSPs' register of interests. The cross-party committee takes its decision by five votes to two - but Ms Alexander again insists she has acted in good faith over the issue. She says history has shown she had always complied with the rules on the register of interests.

SATURDAY 15 MARCH, 2008 Weekend reports claim she raised £12,000 for one of her election campaigns from events run by a front organisation in 2002. FRIDAY 8 FEBRUARY, 2008 A Nationalist MSP accuses the Electoral Commission of a whitewash after it decides not to report Ms Alexander to prosecutors. Alex Neil claims the watchdog has shown itself to be incompetent by failing to refer Ms Alexander for accepting an "impermissible donation". Labour MSP Lord George Foulkes says Mr Neil is a bad loser. THURSDAY 7 FEBRUARY, 2008 Alexander cleared over donations It concludes that she took significant steps to comply with the law - but did not take "all reasonable steps". The commission says it is not in the public interest to refer the case to the Crown Office or the procurator fiscal. It says no further action should be taken. MONDAY 4 FEBRUARY, 2008 Jim Sillars, a former SNP deputy leader, says Wendy Alexander should receive an apology from Dr Dyer.

The former Nationalist MP describes the move as "astonishing", but Dr Dyer points out that he is required to take such action if any alleged rule breach may be an offence. SUNDAY 3 FEBRUARY, 2008 It emerges that Dr Dyer has reported Ms Alexander to prosecutors for failing to publicly declare campaign donations. Alexander reported over donations Ms Alexander insists she followed the guidance at every stage, and resists further opposition calls for her to quit the leadership. It also emerges that Labour MSP Andy Kerr has been reported, for late registration of hospitality he received at a weekend event. The former Scottish health minister said his actions "simply boiled down to error". FRIDAY 1 FEBRUARY, 2008 Holyrood's standards watchdog, Dr Jim Dyer, tells Ms Alexander she needs to declare donations to her leadership campaign. Alexander 'should list' donations The Scottish Labour leader says parliament officials told her donations did not have to be recorded in her MSP register of interests. But, after taking legal advice, Dr Dyer says donations worth more than £520 are classed as "gifts" and should have been declared.

SATURDAY 26 JANUARY, 2008 Des Browne, the UK Scottish secretary, says there will be no further resignations of prominent Labour politicians over the donations row. But Mr Browne also tells BBC Scotland's Politics Show: "I am not anticipating that anyone else will be reported to the police." THURSDAY 24 JANUARY, 2008 Peter Hain resigns as UK Work and Pensions Secretary, saying he wants to clear his name, as the police investigate more than £100,000 of undeclared donations to his deputy Labour leadership campaign. Alexander 'confident' of position Ms Alexander denies the event will cause a "domino effect" throughout the Labour Party - a prospect raised by first minister and SNP leader Alex Salmond. Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission says it will "take as long as is necessary" to reach a decision on the Alexander case. FRIDAY 7 DECEMBER, 2007 Following his comments two days earlier, Mr Gordon says he plans to remain as the MSP for Glasgow Cathcart, despite his role in the controversy. Mr Gordon says he will deal with whatever arises from the Electoral Commission "in due course".

WEDNESDAY 5 DECEMBER, 2007 The Electoral Commission watchdog looking into the illegal donation confirms it has received information from Ms Alexander's office. Watchdog given Alexander details Labour says Ms Alexander supplied a "huge amount" of documents to aid the inquiry, which the commission says will be reviewed. BBC Scotland also reports its understanding that the £950 cheque was made out to the WA Campaign and not Wendy Alexander. This prompts Edinburgh University public law lecturer Navraj Ghaleigh to say that this could make campaign treasurer David Whitton liable. TUESDAY 4 DECEMBER, 2007 Alexander defies calls to quit Speaking to journalists outside the Scottish Parliament, she acknowledges that mistakes have been made - but vows to fight on to clear her name. Ms Alexander is given "unanimous" backing by Labour MSPs during one of their regular meetings at Holyrood, according to Labour MSP Duncan McNeil. Meanwhile, Charlie Gordon reveals that he will soon make a decision on his political future, but declines to be drawn on whether he intends to quit as the MSP for Glasgow Cathcart. In a separate development, Paul Green condemns "gross mismanagement" at the top of Scottish Labour.

He tells BBC Scotland that his donation was clearly a personal cheque. MONDAY 3 DECEMBER, 2007 As political opponents keep the pressure on Ms Alexander to resign the leadership, a former standards watchdog, Sir Alistair Graham, tells BBC Scotland that she must seriously consider her position. Alexander urged to consider going Sir Alistair says Ms Alexander should think about stepping back from the job while working to clear her name. Meanwhile, Two labour peers ask police to investigate the leak of a list of donors to the Sunday Herald newspaper. Lord Maxton and Baroness Adams - the former MPs John Maxton and Irene Adams - both gave money to Wendy Alexander's leadership campaign, but say that because their donations were under £1,000 they should have been able to remain anonymous under election law. SUNDAY 2 DECEMBER, 2007 Ms Alexander says she intends to carry on as Scottish Labour leader, despite continued pressure for her to quit over the donation. Alexander to continue as leader Her comments come after the Sunday Herald newspaper suggests her campaign team was aware early last month that it may not be permissible.

In a statement, Ms Alexander rejects any suggestion of "intentional wrongdoing" and says she is "confident" of being exonerated by the electoral watchdog. Meanwhile, the SNP's Mark Hirst complains to police about the matter "as a private individual". SNP deputy leader and Scottish deputy first minister Nicola Sturgeon says Ms Alexander's position looks "untenable". Ms Sturgeon suggests Ms Alexander is staying in post to act as a "human shield" for Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The comments come amid the investigation into donations of more than £650,000 to Labour, made by property developer David Abrahams using other people's names. FRIDAY 30 NOVEMBER, 2007 Wendy Alexander makes a speech in Edinburgh on the future of devolution and is questioned about the donations. Alexander wrote to illegal donor "I deeply regret that this situation has occurred", she says, and adds that the matter is being studied by The Electoral Commission, which has by now widened its probe into a study of all the £17,000 donated to her campaign.

Meanwhile, Mr Green says Ms Alexander wrote a thank you letter in October to his address in Jersey and reveals he gave a donation of £950 to the Glasgow South party five months previously, in April. This came after an approach from Mr Gordon, who says he may have made a similar error of interpretation on that occasion. In a further twist, the Scottish Labour Party says it had turned down the offer of a donation in the past from Mr Green because he was not registered as an elector. It did not know of the Glasgow South donation and, if it had, would have advised that the money be refused. Labour also confirms that Ms Alexander had "regulated donee" status, making her legally liable. THURSDAY 29 NOVEMBER, 2007 Labour MSP Charlie Gordon quits as the party's transport spokesman in the Scottish Parliament, after admitting to two blunders over the £950 donation. He says he told the campaign team the donation was "under the auspices" of a Glasgow firm, Combined Property Services, and that Mr Green had a controlling interest in it. "Unfortunately I was wrong in both these assumptions," says Mr Gordon.

Mr McCabe says full details only became clear at 1300 GMT that day and admits: "Clearly there has been a breach of the law as it stands." Mr Green issues a statement later stating that he was asked by Mr Gordon to give £950 and was assured this was within the rules. "Relying on that confirmation, I made the donation from my personal account," Mr Green added. WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER, 2007 Ms Alexander's campaign manager, Tom McCabe, issues a statement naming the supporter as Paul Green and says it was indicated to Mr Green that only a UK resident or UK registered company could donate. "We acted in good faith," said Mr McCabe. SUNDAY 25 NOVEMBER, 2007 Ms Alexander refuses to say whether she returned a leadership campaign donation of under £1,000 to a tax exile in the Channel Islands, the Sunday Herald newspaper reports. It also says that she declined to release the name of the supporter, or to publish a full list of her backers in the Labour leadership campaign.

FRIDAY 14 SEPTEMBER, 2007 Wendy Alexander is officially named as Scottish Labour leader, beginning her new job by immediately setting out major party reforms. BBC News Online | Alexander quits: Reaction in quotes Alexander quits: Reaction in quotes 28 June 08 13:53 GMT Wendy Alexander has resigned as leader of the Scottish Labour Party after breaking parliamentary rules on donations. Here is some reaction to her announcement from key figures. CATHY JAMIESON, SCOTTISH LABOUR PARTY DEPUTY LEADER " It is with deep regret that we accept the resignation of Wendy Alexander as the leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament. Ever since this process began, anybody who knows Wendy Alexander has not for one minute questioned her integrity, as is evident today. With this decision she has put the Scottish Parliament and the Labour party above her own personal interests. " GORDON BROWN, PRIME MINISTER " I want to thank Wendy Alexander, not just for her work in rebuilding the Scottish Labour Party since the last elections but for her commitment to devolution and her part in establishing the Scottish Parliament.

Her dedication to social justice can never be doubted and her contribution - which has been outstanding over the years - will be greatly missed. " DOUGLAS ALEXANDER, MS ALEXANDER'S BROTHER AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT SECRETARY " This has been a very tough decision in very difficult circumstances and I understand Wendy's characteristic instinct to put the Labour Party interests first. She is a woman of outstanding talent and as a family we care about her very much. " I think it's very sad, both personally for Wendy but also for Scotland. She was and is one of the outstanding political thinkers of her generation. I thought she showed really good leadership. Her speeches and her ideas have helped shape policy in Scotland, and indeed have shaped it across the political parties. " NICOLA STURGEON, SNP DEPUTY FIRST MINISTER " This has obviously been a difficult decision for Wendy Alexander, and resignation offers her the opportunity to move on. While Wendy Alexander has been the author of own misfortune, there can be no doubt that the information on her illegal campaign donation could only have come from within the inner circles of the Labour Party.

For months, there has been an unanswered question in Scottish politics - who within Scottish Labour leaked the information which provoked the serious investigation, culminating in Wendy Alexanders resignation? As Labour face another leadership trauma, her likely successors would do well to watch each other as well as their political opponents. Decay from within is characteristic of the decline of the New Labour project, and Wendy Alexanders resignation is a symptom of this wider malaise. " ANNABEL GOLDIE, SCOTTISH CONSERVATIVE PARTY LEADER " Clearly Wendy Alexander thought long and hard before making this decision but there is no doubt that the challenges facing Labour throughout the UK are awesome. She evidently feels that it is time for somebody else to lead the Labour Party in Scotland. This resignation is a further body blow for Gordon Brown and Labour, as they lurch from one crisis to another. Only the Scottish Conservatives offer a credible opposition to the SNP in Scotland. On a personal level, we hope that, away from the stresses and strains of leadership, Wendy Alexander can find time and peace for herself and her family. " SIMON HUGHES, LIBERAL DEMOCRAT MP " It's a very sad day for Wendy Alexander but I think she did do the right thing.

The issue [of her campaign donations] had not gone away throughout the whole of her time as Scottish Labour leader and if that becomes the story then you can't get on with the politics. It's a really strong, sad additional blow for Labour. They lost power as the dominant party in Scotland and went into opposition a year ago. They've had terrible local elections across England and Wales, they've come fifth in the latest UK election, they're just about to face we gather another by-election in Scotland. The Labour Party are in difficulty north and south of the border, and this will not help them. " ROBIN HARPER, SCOTTISH GREEN PARTY CO-CONVENER " This has been an exceptionally difficult time for Wendy Alexander, and Scottish Labour as a whole is still struggling to adapt to its place in opposition. Personally, I wish her the very best for the future. She has a lot still to offer Scottish politics, and I hope very much that she will continue to play a leading role in our Parliament. " JOHN CURTICE, STRATHCLYDE UNIVERSITY POLITICS PROFESSOR " The real problem is Wendy Alexander's leadership more broadly was not much of a success.

Her performances in First Minister's Questions against the First Minister Alex Salmond were widely criticised for being rather weak. Secondly, her attempt to push the Labour Party where it is in a position where it said it wanted a referendum on independence and it wanted a referendum quickly, contradicting Gordon Brown's position, that undoubtedly weakened her position. Thirdly, in truth the lesson of this story is that Wendy Alexander actually mismanaged dealing with the problem of her leadership finance campaign once the story first emerged. " Iain Macwhirter Now and Then: And so farewell Wendy Alexander, resignation queen of Holyrood. "Scotland's most distinguished political commentator" - Roy Greenslade. Monday, February 21, 2011 And so farewell Wendy Alexander, resignation queen of Holyrood. Wendy Alexander has walked out again, resigning her Paisley seat and citing the oldest and lamest excuse in politics, “to spend time with her family”. She leaves the Scottish Labour leader, Iain Gray, and fellow career women in the lurch. Though somehow, I don't think this is the last we have heard of Wendy. Labour’s former Scottish leader has made something of a career out of resignation.

She first walked out in 2002 as enterprise minister after a frantic 7.00 am encounter with the then First Minister Jack McConnell on his Wishaw doorstep. Not having any family then, she spent more time with her academic contacts, and went on to marry the economist Professor Brian Ashcroft. She found her way back into government through her expertise on financial affairs (no pun intended) and became Scottish leader after Jack McConnell resigned following the 2007 election defeat. She was the only politician of substance left from the Dewar generation. But not for long. Wendy resigned for the second time in 2008 after it emerged that she'd accepted an illegal campaign donation from a Jersey businessman. She had also infuriated Gordon Brown by calling for an SNP referendum on independence. That looked like Wendy’s goose finally cooked. But she worked her way on the back benches, and was even tipped to get Andy Kerr’s job as finance secretary after the May election - assuming Labour returns to power. But it was not to be - again. Well, she certainly chooses her moments.

Resignation 3.0 broke on the eve of the election campaign and in the week in which her leader, Iain Gray, had suffered not one, but two custard pies in the polls. The first was the Ipsos Mori poll which indicated that the SNP had wiped out Labour’s ten point lead and were now narrowly in the lead in the Holyrood race. Then a straw poll in the Scotsman showed that only 20% of voters in Scotland’s leading cities knew who he was. Mr Gray is living up to his reputation as the nowhere man of Scottish politics. Since Wendy Alexander was one of the very few publicly recognisable figures on the Scottish Labour benches, it is hard to think of a more damaging time to announce her departure. Was she pushed? I doubt it. Did family call? Well , all politicians with young children face difficult choices and lashings of parental guilt. However, she managed to cope during the first five years of her twins’ lives, when mothers normally feel the pull of home the hardest. She will be spending more time with her children just as they are leaving for school. Which will leave a bit of a gap in the life of a figure who lives and breathes public life.

Most believe Wendy went because: a, she thinks Gray is a loser; b, she wasn’t getting the finance job; and c, she’s got some post in mind in a university, the Lords, or maybe in some high flying financial outfit. Or was it sexism? Wendy’s latest departure has been accompanied by the usual chorus of complaints about how difficult it is for women in politics, dominated as it is by nasty middle aged men and an intrusive and a cruel sexist media. Of course it is hard. Wendy was given a rough time by cartoonists, cybernat trolls and You Tube, who made fun of her mobile features and her relentless delivery. But that’s what public life is like, and if politicians like her are saying that they can’t handle it, what future is there for women in politics? No - this won’t do any more. Politics is a dog’s life for every politician - male and female. Ed Miliband has a young family and a mobile face and has suffered just as much ridicule in the media. Many women will be dismayed at this feminist role model saying that, after all, her place is in the home when the Scottish parliament is the most family friendly in Europe.

MSPs only have to be there three days a week and they go home at 5.45. Of course, it is regrettable that a politician of Wendy Alexander’s competence decides to throw in the towel. But it has less to do with sexism than the dire state of Labour politics in Scotland. The unidentifiable Iain Gray has been hoping to get into Bute House by stealth - by saying nothing, doing nothing, hearing nothing. Labour believes it has a divine right to rule in Scotland whenever there is a Tory government in Westminster. It is the default position of Scottish politics and, truth to tell, I suspect that, even with last week’s polls, Labour is still in line to take over from the SNP after the May election. But you have to ask: why? What do they want to be in government to do? Defend jobs and services is the short answer - look after their mates in public bodies is the longer one. Raise council tax to pay for it. Make daft speeches against the “Tory Nats” for being in league with David Cameron. Iain Gray wants his turn atop the crumbling structure that is Labour Scotland.

And once he’s there, he’ll probably do very little in case it jeopardises his chances of a seat in the Lords. The seat that his predecessor, Jack McConnell practically had to beg for because he had been too independent-minded. I suspect that this realisation is what finally forced Wendy to wander. And if that is unfair, crypto-nationalist bile, then I say: prove me wrong. We’re told that there is going to be a policy blitz from Labour in the coming week. It’s about time. As far as I can tell, Labour stands - in this election - for 1: increasing council tax; 2, cutting health spending in real terms; 3, restoring university tuition fees in the form of a graduate contribution; 4 stuffing yet more people in jail who shouldn’t be there; 5 protecting supermarkets from proper taxation. Oh: and jobs, of course - theirs. No wonder they were so determined to keep the price of booze down. We’ll need it.

Posted by Scottish leader under pressure to resign - Telegraph Scottish leader under pressure to resign Wendy Alexander is a staunch supporter of the Prime Minister By Auslan Cramb, Scottish Correspondent 12:01AM GMT 01 Dec 2007 Wendy Alexander, the Scottish Labour leader, has come under intense pressure to resign after it emerged that she personally thanked a millionaire businessman for a donation that broke electoral laws. Screw tightens on Brown fundraiser Miss Alexander had attempted to distance herself from the affair, claiming that she was not personally involved and only learnt about the donation - from a tax exile who is not on the UK electoral register - this week. But her defence began to unravel when the donor, Paul Green, who lives in the Channel Islands, released a copy of a letter sent from Miss Alexander in October to his home address, thanking him for the contribution to her leadership campaign. Related Articles Screw tightens on Brown fundraiser 01 Dec 2007 The property developer and Labour supporter also revealed that he had made not one, but two donations to Scottish Labour this year. They were illegal because he is not a UK-registered voter. However, he said that Labour assured him the contributions were above board.

Roseanna Cunningham, a Scottish National Party MSP, said Miss Alexander's position was now untenable and called for a police inquiry. She claimed the thank-you note to Mr Green in Jersey - in which Miss Alexander promised to restore public trust in Labour - amounted to a "smoking letter". She added: "The Electoral Commission should now report this matter to the police - as they have done south of the border - since it is clear that an illegal act has taken place, with responsibility lying entirely with Wendy Alexander. "One way or another, there must be a police investigation. Wendy Alexander's position is increasingly untenable." One factor that may ensure Miss Alexander's survival, however, is that if she was to resign then there would be the unwanted publicity of Harriet Harman and other senior figures in London under pressure to follow suit. The affair has already prompted the resignation of Charlie Gordon, Labour's transport spokesman at Holyrood, who made the approach to Mr Green seeking a donation of £950 - just under the £1,000 mark above which all donations must be reported. But Mr Green also revealed that he had previously given the same amount to Mr Gordon's own election campaign in Glasgow.

That second illegal donation raises serious questions about Mr Gordon's future as a Labour MSP. If Miss Alexander is forced to resign it will be a huge blow to her close ally, Gordon Brown. She is the sister of Douglas Alexander, the Secretary of State for International Development, and a staunch supporter of the Prime Minister. Mr Green, 65, said he had decided to speak out because he had been "innocently embroiled in a national controversy". He said he was "very angry" with the party's handling of the affair and complained that he had been assured that the donation would be above board. Mr Gordon said he misinterpreted the rules over both donations, had apologised to Mr Green and was keen to assist the Electoral Commission. The commission is now examining all donations to Miss Alexander's campaign, which raised £17,000. In an attempted damage limitation exercise, she publicly apologised yesterday, saying: "I deeply regret that this situation has occurred. I am very sorry for it." Mr Green said he had been "completely exonerated", adding: "My donation to the Wendy Alexander campaign was open and above board.

When asked if I could donate, I was told there was no problem." Profile: Wendy Alexander By James Kirkup When the Scottish Labour Party began looking for a new leader in the wake of the party's dismal defeat to Alex Salmond's Scottish National Party in May, there was never any doubt about who Gordon Brown wanted for the job: Wendy Alexander. Mr Brown had made little secret of his dislike of Jack McConnell, the Labour First Minister ousted by Mr Salmond. Mr McConnell eventually quit in August after being offered the job of High Commissioner to Malawi by Mr Brown. That cleared the way for a leadership contest in Scotland every bit as one-sided as the Prime Minister's own Labour coronation in June. The older sister of Douglas Alexander, the International Development Secretary and Mr Brown's general election chief, Miss Alexander is a close confidante of the Prime Minister, who has a long-standing admiration of her intellectual grasp. Ferociously intelligent, her forensic economic dissection of the Scottish National Party manifesto helped Labour cut Mr Salmond's margin of victory to a single seat in May.

But despite Mr Brown's confidence in his protégé's talents, doubts have always lingered about the sharp-edged Miss Alexander's ability to take on the rabble-rousing Mr Salmond in public debate. Even before her current troubles, her leadership of Scottish Labour has been far from smooth. She lost her first two spokesmen to scandal, one of whom recently quit after bawling abuse at Mr Salmond at an awards dinner. After a third was appointed, it emerged he had criticised Miss Alexander's performances on his personal blog. Miss Alexander, 44, sits in the Scottish Parliament for Paisley North; her brother Douglas is MP for Paisley South. They grew up in the town and, like Mr Brown, were the children of a Church of Scotland minister. Miss Alexander's first big political job was as a special adviser to Donald Dewar, the former Labour Scottish Secretary who became the first First Minister of Scotland in 1999. Elected to Holyrood in 1999, Miss Alexander held cabinet posts and was widely tipped for the top.

But in 2002, she abruptly resigned her post as Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning, saying she wanted a change after five years spent at the heart of government. The move electrified Scottish politics and triggered a dozen rumours about quite what had been behind it. Friends say the truth is that Miss Alexander had simply come to believe that there was more to life than politics. During her five-year absence from the front bench in the Scottish Parliament, she met and married her husband, Brian Ashcroft, an economist. In September, Prof Ashcroft, announced that he would step down from his academic post to spend more time with their twins, Caitlin and Michael, allowing Miss Alexander to focus fully on her political career - which is now in the balance. Wendy Alexander | London Business School | ZoomInfo.com London Business School HQ Phone: +44 20 7000 7000 Get ZoomInfo Grow + Get 10 Free Contacts a Month Please agree to the terms and conditions I agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy .

I understand that I will receive a subscription to ZoomInfo Grow at no charge in exchange for downloading and installing the ZoomInfo Contact Contributor utility which, among other features, involves sharing my business contacts as well as headers and signature blocks from emails that I receive. Regent's Park, London NW1 4SA United Kingdom Company Description London Business School's vision is to have a profound impact on the way the world does business. The School is consistently ranked in the global top 10 for its programmes and research and celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. As well as its top-ran ... more Find other employees at this company (11,476) Background Information Special Adviser To the Secretary of State United Kingdom Web References (171 Total References) Demos | People Dr Wendy Alexander is Associate Dean, London Business School, and a former Scottish Cabinet Minister.

Social Market Foundation - SourceWatch Wendy Alexander, Member of the Scottish Parliament and alumnus of the British American Project Policy Advisory Board Wendy Alexander quits as Labour leader Scotlands Oracle - Wendy Alexander quits as Labour leader Scotlands Oracle Wendy Alexander quits as Labour leader Saturday, 28 June 2008 wendy_big.jpg Scottish Labour leader Wendy Alexander has resigned "with deep regret" after breaking rules on declaring donations. It came as she faced a one-day ban from Holyrood after failing to register donations to her leadership campaign. Ms Alexander said she had acted in "good faith" and on the written advice of the parliamentary authorities. She accused the SNP of waging a "vexatious" campaign against her , without regard for the damage it was doing to the Scottish Parliament. ... Ms Alexander eventually emerged as the only candidate to replace him but had already raised funds to run a leadership campaign. She previously said she had been told wrongly by clerks to the standards committee it was unnecessary to declare the donations. She register with details of 10 donors, who each gave about £1,000 to her Ms Alexander called that decision "partisan" and said she was certain MSPs would overturn it when they returned after the summer recess.

Speaking at Scottish Labour's headquarters in Glasgow, Ms Alexander said: "My pursuers have sought the prize of political victory with little thought to the standing of the parliament. "Some may feel they have achieved a political victory but wiser heads will surely question 'at what price?'" Ms Alexander added: "It is clear that vexatious complaints will continue to dominate the headlines as long as I remain Labour's Scottish Parliamentary Leader. "I cannot ask Labour supporters in Scotland for further forbearance." She later told BBC Scotland that she thought the parliamentary process had been "cynically abused" by political opponents who had used "investigation as political tactic". Ms Alexander admitted she had made mistakes but said there had also been "politically-motivated" complaints". ... The prime minister said: "I want to thank Wendy Alexander, not just for her work in rebuilding the Scottish Labour Party since the last elections but for her part in establishing the Scottish Parliament. " dedication to social justice can never be doubted and her contribution - which has been outstanding over the years - will be greatly missed. Scottish deputy first minister Nicola Sturgeon acknowledged it was a difficult decision for Ms Alexander.

The Scottish National Party deputy leader said: "While Wendy Alexander has been author of own misfortune, there can be no doubt that the information on her illegal campaign donation could only have come from within the inner circles of the Labour Party. "Decay from within is characteristic of the decline of the New Labour project, and Wendy Alexander's resignation is a symptom of this wider malaise." ... Scottish Lib Dem leader Nicol Stephen said: "It is sad that Wendy Alexander has been forced to resign in these damaging circumstances. ... The standards committee ruling was the latest development in the saga of donations to Ms Alexander's leadership campaign. How to Contact Us Australian Colour Swatch Company [cached] Wendy Alexander is happy to assist you with any inquiries that you may have about our company and it products. Contact has been allowed to get away with it.' ... Hugh O'Donnell threatened to resign from the Standards Committee if their decision to ban Wendy Alexander from the Parliament for one days was overturned. ... 40% of Scots are less likely to vote Labour as a result of Wendy Alexander's illegal donation problems * A quarter believe they are serious enough to warrant her resignation, while a further 15% think she should quit for other reasons * ...

The Sunday Times reveals that Wendy Alexander defended a £15,600 claim for office supplies by saying: 'The postage and stationery spending reflects the exceptionally hard work of the office in keeping constituents up to date with local developments particularly around campaigns on antisocial behaviour in Paisley and the future of local health services in Argyll and Clyde.' Wendygate I.17 th November 2008. Paul Hutcheon, Scottish Political Editor of the Sunday Herald, reveals that Wendy Alexander's leadership campaign had received a number of payments of £995, £5 under the limit requiring a declaration to the Electoral Commission. ... On the 7 th February 2008, the Electoral Commission issues a statement that it does not have sufficient evidence to be able to recommend prosecuting Wendy Alexander for accepting an illegal donation. On the 20 th of February the discredited Electoral Commission issues a statement that it will not be recommending prosecuting Charles Gordon MSP (Labour, Glasgow Cathcart) for soliciting and laundering an illegal donation.

On the 25 th June the Scottish Parliament's Standards Committee, acting on a recommendation by the Holyrood Standards Commissioner, rules that the disgraced leader of the Labour group, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) broke parliament rules by failing to register donations on her MSPs' register of interests and recommends she should face a one day ban from parliament. On the 28 th June, Alexander resigns as leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament. On the 2 nd September the sleaze scandal hits new Scottish Lib Dem leader Tavish Scott MSP (Liberal Democrat, Shetland) when he removes Hugh O'Donnell MSP (Liberal Democrat, Central Scotland) from the Standards Committee of the Scottish parliament. O'Donnell had stated that he would resign if the Committee's decision to suspend Wendy Alexander was not upheld by the full Scottish parliament.

On the 4 th September the sleaze scandal hits all three Unionist parties in the Scottish Parliament as 44 of the 46 Labour MSPs, all 16 Conservative MSPs and nine of the 16 Liberal Democrat MSPs vote to overturn the decision of the Scottish Parliament's Standards Committee, acting upon the recommendation of the Standards Commissioner, of a one day ban from Parliament for Wendy Alexander for accepting illegal donations. ... The Sunday Times reveals that Wendy Alexander and her senior colleagues have given thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money to a company owned by the Labour party for services which are provided free of charge by the Scottish Parliament. Wendygate III.1 st February 2008. Wendy Alexander is reported to the procurator fiscal in Lothian & Borders by the Holyrood Standards Commissioner for breaking Scottish Parliament rules by failing to register ten leadership campaign donations of more than £520. Wendygate IV.10 th February 2008. The Sunday Times reveals that Wendy Alexander is facing an investigation by the Electoral Commission into a claim that she channelled £12,000 through a Labour front organisation to fund her constituency office. The police have also been asked to investigate.

Wendygate V.17 th February 2008. The Sunday Post reveals that Wendy Alexander is facing an investigation concerning allegations of paid advocacy after she failed to declare a financial interest when proposing a motion in the Scottish Parliament praising a shopping centre that had made donations to her totalling £1,600. The Scotland Act specifically prohibits paid advocacy and the penalty is a fine of up to £5,000. Wendygate VI.24 th February 2008. The Sunday Times reveals that" at a meeting of the education committee in 2005, Alexander asked Tom McGhee of Paisley based Sparks of Genius, which runs a series of independent schools, how the Government could do more to buy services from his company" ." She did not disclose that Spark was a contributor to her campaign in Paisley in 2003, gifting £900 to her fighting fund, providing her with transport on polling day and renting her a campaign office." ... The Scotsman reveals that the Labour Party has appointed a businessman who gave cash to Wendy Alexander as its new general-secretary.

David Pitt-Watson, founder and chairman of city firm Hermes Equity Ownership, gave just under the £1,000 declarable threshold to Ms Alexander. ... Holyrood Standards Commissioner Dr Jim Dyer, who reported Wendy Alexander to the Crown Office, has also declared Kerr may have broken the law. ... But insiders say Mrs Liddell is very much on the periphery of an inner circle which includes special adviser Wendy Alexander and her brother, MP Douglas Alexander, who is there at the Chancellor's behest.' ... 'Wendy Alexander, standing in Paisley North, is one of a group, now in their 30s, who 12 years ago formed Scottish Labour Action, a pressure group aimed at ensuring the party did not renege on its promise to deliver a parliament. ... 'Enterprise Minister Wendy Alexander had come under fire after the publicity disaster of the announcement.' Daily Record, 21 st April 2001. 'It's a snakepit up there, with a good chance now that two of the mostly hotly-favoured female faces of the new regime, Wendy Alexander and Susan Deacon, may pack the whole thing in after just one term of office.' ...

John Reid rang me to tell me that Wendy Alexander had been forced to pull out of the race for Scottish first minister, because of lack of support and because the unions refused to back her, even though Gordon had tried to get them to override the one-member-one-vote ballot and just nominate her.' ... 'Far be it for us to suggest anyone is two sandwiches short of a picnic, but Wendy Alexander has a thing about biscuits.' ... 'The $64,000 question, of course, is whether Wendy Alexander at transport - now easily her main priority - will accept the new deal. ... 'Reports of a row between the then First Minister Henry McLeish and Enterprise Minister Wendy Alexander over the timing of his appointment also added to the controve Similar Profiles

Question: From which position did Wendy Alexander resign on June 28th.2008?
Answer: LEADER OF THE SCOTTISH LABOUR PARTY