WENDY ALEXANDER is under pressure to reveal the identity of backers who helped fund her campaign to win leadership of the Labour Party in Scotland.

Every donation to Alexander's campain was under the £1000 limit that would trigger identification of the donor. She received a number of payments of £995; £5 more and such donations would have had to be reported to the Electoral Commission.

Alexander succeeded Jack McConnell without a challenge for the post, but nonetheless went on a leadership tour to present her vision to party activists.

A spokeswoman for the Electoral Commission told the Sunday Herald that her office had been in contact with the Alexander team at the beginning of the leadership campaign to discuss the donation rules. She said that none of Alexander's donations was reportable as they were all under £1000.

The Sunday Herald understands a number of the contributions were for £995. One insider with a knowledge of campaign finance said it would be an "enormous coincidence" for several individual donors to hand over exactly £995 each.

Alexander, the MSP for Paisley North, is now under pressure to publish the names of everyone who paid into her leadership fund.

Murdo Fraser, deputy leader of the Scottish Tories, said: "It appears to be close to sharp practice for Alexander to have engineered a situation whereby many of her donations fell just short of the limit. I think it would be helpful, in the interests of transparency, for her to publish a full list of donations."

SNP MSP Alex Neil added: "She should absolutely publish the list. It's too much of a coincidence that many of the donations are for £995, not £1000. What's she got to hide?"

A spokesman for Wendy Alexander confirmed that no donations of over £1000 were received, adding: "Details of all donations received during the leadership campaign were given to the Electoral Commission and all rules were fully complied with."

Asked if Alexander would publish the names of everyone who made donations, he said: "We have complied with every rule."