The resignation of Henry McLeish paves the way for a potentially bitter battle for the Scottish crown.

Two names stand out ahead of the pack - Jack McConnell and Wendy Alexander.

McConnell is a political fixer steeped in the west cost politics of the Labour Party. A former general secretary of the party in Scotland, he is the executive's education and external affairs minister.

Following the death of Donald Dewar, he ran against McLeish - running him a close second.

However, Wendy Alexander, the petite but formidable enterprise and lifelong learning minister is an astute political operator who will be taking serious soundings about whether to run for the top post.

A former special adviser to Donald Dewar, Alexander is the sister of the new Labour MP and Blairite loyalist Douglas Alexander.

Wendy in Full

Alexander was born in 1963 in Glasgow and educated at Park Marns High School, Erskine and Pearson College.

She was previously a special adviser to the Secretary of State for Scotland and helped shape all aspects of the legislation in the establishment of the Scottish parliament. She has also worked specifically on policy areas including women's issues, social exclusion and industry.

A graduate of Glasgow and Warwick universities, Ms Alexander also graduated with an MBA from the INSEAD business school in France. She was then employed as Global Management Consultant, working in Europe, America and Asia.

Alexander has also worked as a research officer for the Labour Party and is a member of TGWU and Amnesty International.

She is single.

Jack in Full

Jack McConnell was born in Irvine in 1960, and grew up on a sheep farm in Arran. He was educated at Arran High School, Lamlash then went on to gain a BSc Dip Ed. at the University of Stirling. While at Stirling University, Jack served as President of the Students Association.

McConnell was a maths teacher (1983-92) and member of Stirling District Council (1984-1992). During his time on the Council he was Treasurer (1988-92) and Leader (1990-1992).

As General Secretary of the Scottish Labour Party (1992-1998), McConnell managed the 1997 election and co-ordinated Labour's Yes Yes referendum campaign in September 1997.

McConnell was a member of the Scottish Constitutional Convention (1989-98) and was appointed as Scottish Labour Environmental Affairs Spokesperson for the 1999 Scottish Election.

He is married and has one daughter and a son. He enjoys listening to music, playing golf and watching football.

He is a member of the GMB and Amnesty International.