Jack McConnell has refused to comment on criticisms contained in a new book by his predecessor as Scotland's first minister, Henry McLeish.

In his autobiography, McLeish accuses McConnell of plotting against him from the day he took office, after narrowly defeating him to replace Donald Dewar.

"I thought the campaign was over, but for some it never ended," he wrote.

Serialised in the Daily Record, "Scotland First: Truth and Consequences" also contains claims that the factionalism in the Scottish Labour Party is linked to religious prejudice.

McLeish said the end result is a politics with "no big ideas [and] no coherent thinking".

McLeish had to resign in November 2001 after a row over wrongly-claimed office expenses.

He left frontline politics last year after stepping down from the Scottish parliament.

Pivotal figures

Speaking to the press on Monday, McConnell insisted that he would not comment on the contents of the book.

"You guys, some of you, have been trying to get me to comment on Henry McLeish and on his time as first minister, in particular for the 12 months he was first minister and ever since," he said.

"I did not comment then, and I haven't commented since. I have absolutely no intention of commenting now."

McConnell added that while both McLeish and Donald Dewar were pivotal figures in Scottish devolution, Holyrood is now controlled by politicians who have never served as Westminster MPs.

"That's the whole raison d'etre for me to be in this position," he said.

"It's a position I feel honoured and privileged to hold and It's one I give my all to."

Clash of the politicians

Speaking to BBC radio's Good Morning Scotland Programme, Peter McMahon, a former adviser to McLeish, said it was unsurprising that the two men clashed.

"Politics is a business which, for good or ill, exists in a febrile atmosphere in the relationship between politicians as we have seen with Tony Blair and Gordon Brown," he said.

"Everyone is not always pulling in the same direction.

"Henry McLeish is not an MSP or an MP, but I do think if he can spark a debate about what devolution is actually for then that would be a good thing."