Donald Dewar was central to the Holyrood project

His Labour colleagues had condemned Mr Gorrie's suggestion that the late first minister may have regarded the Holyrood parliament building as a personal memorial.

Labour MSPs claimed the remarks were "intemperate" and "inaccurate".

But Donald Gorrie told BBC Scotland that, while his words might have been better chosen, he is "not apologising".

Labour MSPs had rallied to the defence of Mr Dewar's memory after a personal attack on his handling of the Holyrood project.

The group signed a statement demanding that Mr Gorrie apologise for comments made at the Fraser Inquiry on Wednesday.

Mr Gorrie accused the late first minister of confusing Scotland's interests with his own.

The 35 MSPs said the remarks were "inaccurate and deeply offensive".

Mr Gorrie has been a long-standing critic of the Holyrood project.

Mr Gorrie did not know Mr Dewar, did not know the character of the man who worked selflessly for the people of Anniesland and previously the people of Garscadden, both at Westminster and Holyrood Bill Butler MSP

When he appeared before Lord Fraser on Wednesday, he heaped blame on Mr Dewar for the Holyrood fiasco.

Mr Gorrie suggested the former first minister may have confused Scotland's interests with building a memorial to himself.

He said: "There is a risk of someone in his position confusing what's good for Scotland and what's a memorial to Donald Dewar."

And he went on to say: "My own view is that Holyrood is the wrong site and at the time I had never met anyone in Edinburgh who thought it was right. Only a Glaswegian would have chosen it."

The Labour MSPs signed a parliamentary motion in the name of Bill Butler, who succeeded Donald Dewar as Glasgow Anniesland MSP, in which they demand an apology.

Mr Butler said: "Mr Gorrie did not know Mr Dewar, did not know the character of the man who worked selflessly for the people of Anniesland and previously the people of Garscadden, both at Westminster and Holyrood.