Margaret Ferrier: Covid breach MP faces fresh calls to quit

An MP is facing renewed calls to discontinue aft losing her entreaty against a recommended 30-day prohibition from the Commons for breaching Covid rules.

A by-election volition astir surely beryllium held successful Margaret Ferrier's Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency if MPs ballot to enforce the suspension.

She has been urged to resign present alternatively than hold to beryllium recalled by her constituents.

Ferrier won the spot for the SNP with a bulk of 5,230 successful 2019.

She present sits an an autarkic MP aft losing the SNP whip erstwhile it emerged she took a bid from London to Glasgow astatine the tallness of the pandemic contempt investigating affirmative for Covid.

Ferrier has already been ordered to implicit a 270-hour assemblage payback bid by a tribunal aft admitting culpably and recklessly exposing the nationalist "to the hazard of infection, unwellness and death" arsenic a effect of her behaviour.

She has antecedently said she "deeply regretted" her actions but has truthful acold refused to resign arsenic an MP.

No day has yet been acceptable for MPs to ballot connected whether the recommended 30-day prohibition beryllium imposed connected Ferrier. They are expected to overwhelmingly backmost the suspension.

This would let a callback petition to beryllium started, with much than 10% of registered voters successful the constituency needing to motion it for a by-election to beryllium held.

Scottish Labour is assured of winning the seat, with polls suggesting that enactment for the SNP has fallen successful caller months, and has already picked a campaigner - albeit successful arguable circumstances - successful anticipation of a by-election.

Party person Anas Sarwar was campaigning successful the constituency connected Monday.

He said helium was assured that the threshold for removing Ferrier arsenic an MP would beryllium met and urged her to enactment her constituents archetypal by resigning now.

Mr Sarwar said radical successful the constituency were "furious" that the contented had dragged connected for truthful long.

He added: "Every measurement of the way, this idiosyncratic is trying to support her occupation alternatively than really lasting up for the assemblage that needs due support".

Mr Sarwar said Ferrier had "one last accidental to bash the close happening and resign" and springiness her constituents a caller start.

He continued: "If she fails to bash that, past I'm calling connected some SNP and Tory MPs to ballot for this authorisation erstwhile it comes earlier them successful the House of Commons and past let the radical of this constituency to enactment successful that callback petition."

Ms Ferrier's erstwhile colleagues successful the SNP - including then-party person Nicola Sturgeon - person consistently called for her to discontinue since her Covid breach came to light.

Speaking aft she mislaid her appeal, an SNP spokesperson said: "There indispensable present beryllium a by-election successful Rutherglen and Hamilton West.

"The SNP is acceptable to instrumentality the combat to the Tories and pro-Brexit Labour Party astatine that by-election - and we volition beryllium putting the outgo of living, NHS and independency astatine the bosom of our campaign."

The party's societal affairs spokesperson astatine Westminster, David Linden, told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme that her presumption was "untenable" and that helium was assured the SNP would triumph a by-election.

Mr Linden said: "Rightly voters successful Rutherglen and Hamilton West are annoyed that they've got an MP who was expected to beryllium voting connected Covid authorities which she has been recovered to person broken.

"They privation a Member of Parliament who has credibility, who tin basal up successful Westminster and that's what they'll get with the SNP erstwhile the by predetermination takes place."

He was besides asked astir a report successful The Times astir an "away day" gathering of SNP MPs, which said determination was disquiet among the radical owed to a deficiency of strategy successful the enactment since Mr Yousaf became leader.

Mr Linden said helium did not recognise the description.

Scottish Conservative MSP Graham Simpson said Ferrier's actions were "reckless" and echoed calls for her to resign.

He added: "Instead, it looks similar she volition brazenly proceed to instrumentality her MP wage until the bitter end."

The Commons' standards committee recommended successful March that Ferrier should beryllium suspended, with a autarkic adept sheet upholding the archetypal judgement connected Monday aft she appealed against it.

The sheet concluded that she had acted with "blatant and deliberate dishonest intent" and a "high grade of recklessness to the nationalist and to colleagues and unit astatine the House of Commons".

It added: "This is not 1 momentary mistake of judgment. It is simply a series of events amounting to a deliberate people of dishonest behaviour.

"She acted selfishly, putting her ain interests supra the nationalist interest. There could truthful beryllium nary lesser authorisation for this conduct."

Ferrier took a Covid trial connected Saturday 26 September 2020 due to the fact that she had a "tickly throat". While awaiting the effect she went to religion connected the Sunday and gave a speechmaking to the congregation, and aboriginal spent much than 2 hours successful a barroom successful Ayrshire.

She past travelled to London connected a bid that had 183 passengers connected committee connected the Monday and spoke successful the Commons aboriginal that day.

Shortly aft leaving the chamber, she recovered retired she had tested affirmative for the microorganism and took a bid backmost to Glasgow the pursuing time to debar having to self-isolate successful a London edifice country for 2 weeks.

She did not archer anyone astir the affirmative trial effect until she was backmost successful Glasgow.

Her entreaty against the projected 30-day suspension said it was excessively terrible and that she was the unfortunate of "double jeopardy" arsenic she had already been punished by a transgression tribunal for her offence.