Wendy Alexander has warned her SNP adversaries that their "precarious" hold on power could see them being forced from office by a vote of no confidence on their local income tax plans.

Labour's Holyrood leader was speaking at the party's Aviemore conference, where her speech helped put doubts about her future to one side, following a troubled first six months in charge.

She said the SNP's "hold on power is more precarious than we are sometimes led to believe. We will use every opportunity in the Parliament to get these issues people care about on the agenda".

She cited the school-building programme, apprenticeships and support for vulnerable two-year-olds among those concerns on which she wants to build alliances.

"There are areas where we intend to win a majority on the floor of Parliament, and shame the SNP into doing the right thing," she said.

"If they lose a vote of confidence on an issue like local income tax, then they will have to go back to the people."

Ms Alexander also announced a re-shuffle of her front-bench team at Aviemore.

Scotland Secretary Des Browne told the conference Labour had reached a turning point, and argued it was Labour at Westminster that was delivering progress for Scotland rather than the SNP at Holyrood, citing energy, pensions and welfare reform.

Education spokeswoman Rhona Brankin announced that an independent commission would be set up to make Scotland the first country in the world to eradicate illiteracy.