Wendy to receive Cabinet thanks

Ms Alexander's resignation shocked Scottish politics

Wendy Alexander is to receive a "thank you" letter from former cabinet colleagues for her service to Scottish politics.

The Scottish Executive unanimously agreed to the idea in praise of her "substantial contribution" to politics since the Scottish Parliament's inception in 1999.

Ms Alexander, 38, quit her post last enterprise minister last Friday, amid reports she had become disenchanted with her workload and wanted to concentrate on her private life.

First Minister Jack McConnell accepted her resignation with "regret" although she will remain on Labour's backbenches.

The ex-minister at the unveiling of the statue

Ms Alexander made her first public appearance since her resignation on Tuesday, when she attended the unveiling of a statue of Scotland's inaugural First Minister, Donald Dewar.

An executive spokeswoman said the cabinet had agreed on the gesture as a token of its appreciation.

"Cabinet approved a suggestion from the first minister that they should write to Wendy Alexander and thank her for her substantial contribution over the last three years," she said.

Last week, Ms Alexander left for a short break abroad shortly after informing Mr McConnell of her decision.

Policy passion

To date, Ms Alexander, who had been known as the "minister for everything" because of her wide-ranging portfolio, has declined to comment on her reasons for resigning.

Friends said she wanted to concentrate on where her real interests lay - the formulation of policy.

BBC Scotland's political editor Brian Taylor said she had become "increasingly discontented with her workload and relations with colleagues".

He said her resignation was "a blow" to the first minister's attempts to preserve unity within his Labour group.

Mr McConnell, who admitted he had been taken by surprise by Ms Alexander's decision, appointed Iain Gray to succeed her on Saturday.