The row over former Labour leader Wendy Alexander's departure re-ignited today over the publication of a Holyrood report.

The row over former Labour leader Wendy Alexander's departure re-ignited today over the publication of a Holyrood report.

It claims officials did tell Ms Alexander that she may be required to register donations with parliamentary authorities for her ill-fated party leadership campaign.

The revelation was immediately seized upon by the SNP who branded it "damning and embarrassing"." Labour hit back claiming the report itself was "highly flawed and partisan".

Ms Alexander quit after Holyrood's Standards Committee ruled she had broken the law by failing to register a series of donations of over £520 to her campaign for the Labour leadership a year ago.

She claimed Holyrood clerks had advised her that these would not need to be registered with parliamentary authorities and received written advice to that effect.

But the committee's report released today includes details of a conversation between a clerk and Ms Alexander over the issue.

The clerk is quoted as saying: "I did however, explain that any donation could be considered as a gift and therefore it would be required to be registered if it exceeded £520 and met the prejudice test..

"Wendy explained that the money have been donated to a separate account set up for the purpose and therefore was not made to her personally."

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, campaigning on the Glasgow East by-election trail today, hit out at the revelations.

"I think this report is fairly damning and embarrassing for Labour," she said.

"It perhaps sheds light on why Wendy Alexander took the decision to resign just over a week ago.

"If she had not resigned then I think she would be under enormous pressure to resign today.

"What's revealed in that report and how it differs from the accounts given to date show why people are getting so sick and tired and disillusioned with Labour."

But Labour say Ms Alexander received "unambiguous" written advice from Holyrood clerks that she did not have to register the donations.

Duncan McNeil, chair of the Labour group at the Scottish Parliament, today said the report was "highly flawed".

He added: "It flies in the face of the Parliament's own lawyers and it is clear the decision reached by the committee was politically motivated.

"Not just the Labour group, but other MSPs are concerned about the manner in which the process of the committee has been politicised by the SNP."

Standards commissioner Dr Jim Dyer ruled that Ms Alexander had breached Holyrood rules after receiving his own legal advice contrary to that of Holyrood's lawyers.

Ms Alexander did register the donations but outwith the 30 day timescale of receiving them.

The committee voted on June 26 to recommend Ms Alexander be barred from Parliament for one day in the autumn for failing to promptly declare donations to her leadership campaign last summer.

She quit two days later declaring the row had become a "distraction" from the real issues and that she has been the target of a political witchhunt.