The caution followed the row over health spending which provoked a dispute between Finance Minister Jack McConnell and Health Minister Susan Deacon.

Mr Dewar: "Furious" at health cash row

Tom McCabe, the Minister for Parliament, delivered the warning on Mr Dewar's behalf to the regular meeting of Labour MSPs on Wednesday.

Mr McCabe said he had never seen Mr Dewar more angry than he had been over weekend media coverage focusing on "splits" in the executive.

Mr Dewar is believed to be unhappy with Mr McConnell's presentation of the plan to shift �34m of unspent health cash to a contingency fund - and with Ms Deacon's subsequent protests.

Mr McCabe said he was asked to "convey in the strongest possible terms" Mr Dewar's anger and to warn that ministers who continued to brief against each other would be dismissed.

Divisions exploited

The party was warned last week that a failure to tighten up internal discipline would risk giving opponents ammunition.

Party managers said the group had tried in the past year to match the spirit of consensus in the new parliament.

Individual MSPs had been relatively free, they said, to voice dissent or float distinctive arguments.

But opposition parties - particularly the Scottish National Party - had exploited that as evidence of division in Labour ranks.

Labour MSPs must now be aware of their responsibility to act collectively as a group, they were told.