> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.opendemocracy.net/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Wendy Alexander resigns
- URL: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/wendy-alexander-resigns/
- Published: 2008-06-28T10:06:54.000Z
- Updated: 2019-02-14T22:41:02.000Z
- Author: Tom Griffin
- Tags: #en, #Migrated, #Import 2026-04-09 18:41

Wendy Alexander [announced her resignation](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7478913.stm?ref=opendemocracy.net) as Scottish Labour leader this morning. Cathy Jamieson takes over as acting leader pending a leadership election.

The decision comes after the Holyrood Standards Committee[ voted on Thursday ](http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2008/06/27/humiliation-as-scottish-labour-leader-wendy-alexander-gets-holyrood-ban-86908-20622339/?ref=opendemocracy.net)to suspend Alexander for one day for failing to publish details of donations to her leadership campaign.

In her statement today, Alexander described the committee's move as a 'breach of natural justice and a partisan decision.'

However, Iain MacWhirter has just suggested on BBC News 24 that the SNP may not have been trying to force Alexander out. A New Labour leader may be less inclined to support an independence referendum, and to pursue what MacWhirter called Alexander's 'small-n nationalist' agenda.

There was more potentially bad news for Labour with the announcement[ ](https://www.opendemocracy.net/)that [Glasgow East](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow%5FEast%5F%28UK%5FParliament%5Fconstituency%29?ref=opendemocracy.net) MP [David Marshall is set to stand down](http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5i9TOwoV0MWqqk52DpWlwBfrbHwbA?ref=opendemocracy.net). In normal circumstances his 13,507 majority would be considered rock-solid, but a by-election will be a major opportunity for the SNP.

The constituency includes Glasgow Celtic's Parkhead stadium, and could be an interesting symbolic test of Alex Salmond's ambitions to win over Catholic voters in west-central Scotland who have traditionally voted Labour.