Wendy Alexander has vowed to "get on with my job" having won the backing of Labour MSPs despite continuing rows over her leadership campaign's acceptance of an illegal donation.

The Scottish Labour leader said it was in the interests of "fair play" and truth that the allegations were scrutinised by the Electoral Commission.

"In the meantime I intend to get on with my job - the job that my party and the country expect of me, which is to lead Labour in the Scottish Parliament, holding the Scottish National Party to account," she said.

As part of her attempt at a relaunch Alexander said she would lead a debate on a better alternative to the "flawed" national conversation on Scotland's constitutional future launched by the SNP administration.

Backing

She also denied she was staying on in the post at the urging of Gordon Brown who is reported to have said Alexander's resignation would increase pressure on deputy leader Harriet Harman and others currently being scrutinised over similar allegations.

After a 90-minute meeting of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, chairman Duncan McNeil said Alexander had the "absolutely unanimous" support of the party's MSPs.

McNeil said no one had spoken out against her during the meeting at Holyrood and he added he was confident Alexander would be exonerated after the Electoral Commission had examined the situation.

He said: "I am delighted to say, as I fully expected, she has got clear, overwhelming support in the group for her to continue in the job throughout this difficult period."

'Mismanagement'

Earlier the businessman who gave Alexander the money accused her team of "gross mismanagement".

Paul Green insisted he had regarded his donation of £950 as "above board" after assurances from Labour MSP Charlie Gordon.

He also said his donation was paid by a personal cheque and a letter from his Jersey address.

The donation broke electoral law because Green is not based in the UK. Parties can only receive money from UK voters and firms.

Gordon has said he had wrongly assumed that the donation was made under the auspices of a Glasgow firm in which Green had a controlling interest.

But Green told BBC Radio: "How the Labour Party managed to get themselves in this mess is something I find difficult to understand.

"I think what you have to say is that this has to be gross mismanagement.

"Just looking at it from afar, who in their right mind is going to try and hide £950?"

Meanwhile reports suggest that Alexander was pressured not to resign over the issue by her brother, Westminster cabinet minister Douglas Alexander.

It is suggested that Labour in London felt that if Alexander resigned then pressure on Commons leader Harriet Harman and others would intensify.