WENDY ALEXANDER is planningtodroptheNew Labour brand in an attempt to change public perception of her party in the run-up to the 2011 Scottish election.

The Sunday Herald also understands the Scottish Labour leader-elect is considering a proposal to have a Labour MP as her deputy rather than an MSP.

The reform plans come as Alexander prepares to succeed Jack McConnell this week as the Labour leader in the Scottish parliament.

Alexander's elevation this week to the job previously held by Jack McConnell is expected to be followed by far-reaching reforms to the party's governance structure.

One of the cosmetic changes she is likely to back is to campaign under the banner of Scottish Labour, rather than New Labour.

Party stationery and backdrops are expected to focus on deepening the Scottish brand name instead of continuing with the image carved out by Tony Blair and Peter Mandelson in 1994.

The subject came up at a recent hustings meeting in Dundee, at which she was questioned about her plans. Asked if she believed the party should stop calling itself New Labour, she said: "Absolutely".

Alexander, who remains a staunch supporter of Tony Blair's reforms, thinks it is time to entrench her party's Scottishness.

A source close to the MSP said: "She believes that if you stick a word next to Labour, it should be Scottish."

Another reform Alexander is said to be considering is having an MP as her deputy.

Cathy Jamieson, an MSP, is currently Labour's deputy leader at Holyrood, but plans are being discussed to have a Scottish leadership spanning the two parliaments.

The idea was originally floated by Labour MP Jim Devine, but it is now said to have been taken on board by Alexander.

The Sunday Herald also understands the leader elect is planning to hand out key policy positions to non-MSPs.

In common with Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who has appointed independent experts to his government, Alexander may ask business people and academics to overhaul her party's policies.

A spokesman for Alexander said: "We are Scottish Labour are we will continue to be called Scottish Labour."

A spokesman for the Scottish LibDems said: "How parties engage with Scottish voters is about much more than names and branding. The Labour Party has a lot of catching up to do before its Scottish members have the same amount of autonomy in policy-making as their Liberal Democrat opposite numbers already enjoy."

A spokesperson for the SNP said: "It's hardly a break with the past when they are adopting a party name they first adopted over a decade ago."