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MP Margaret Ferrier to appeal House of Commons ban Margaret Ferrier: Covid train trip MP to appeal parliament ban
(32 minutes later)
Margaret Ferrier will appeal against the proposed banMargaret Ferrier will appeal against the proposed ban
MP Margaret Ferrier will appeal against a proposed 30-day ban from the House of Commons over breaching Covid rules.MP Margaret Ferrier will appeal against a proposed 30-day ban from the House of Commons over breaching Covid rules.
It comes after she spoke in parliament in September 2020 while awaiting the results of a Covid test. It comes after she spoke in parliament while awaiting the results of a Covid test in September 2020.
The Rutherglen and Hamilton West MP then took a train home to Glasgow after being told she had tested positive.The Rutherglen and Hamilton West MP then took a train home to Glasgow after being told she had tested positive.
Last month the Commons' Standards Committee recommended that Ms Ferrier should be suspended following an investigation. She was elected as an SNP MP but lost the whip following her actions and now sits as an independent. Her suspension would likely lead to a by-election.
She was elected as an SNP MP but lost the whip following her actions in 2020. She now sits as an independent. The Commons' Standards Committee recommended last month that she should be suspended.
MP faces Commons suspension for Covid train trip In August last year Ferrier was sentenced to 270 hours community service at Glasgow Sheriff Court after pleading guilty to a charge of culpable and reckless conduct.
The latest headlines from Scotland It stated that she failed to self-isolate and had "exposed people to risk of infection, illness and death".
Ms Ferrier was sentenced to 270 hours community service at Glasgow Sheriff Court last August after pleading guilty to a charge of culpable and reckless conduct. If an MP is suspended from the Commons for more than 10 days, then a recall petition can be launched seeking a by-election.
It stated that she had failed to self-isolate and had "exposed people to risk of infection, illness and death". If this is supported by 10% of voters in the constituency, then a by-election would be triggered.
If an MP is suspended from the commons for more than 10 days, then a recall petition can be launched seeking a by-election. Ferrier won an SNP majority of 5,230 at the last general election, with Labour finishing second.
If this is supported by 10% of voters in the constituency, then a by election would be held. Ferrier appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court in August last year
Conduct investigation Parliamentary commissioner for standards, Daniel Greenberg, began the investigation into Ms Ferrier's conduct last October.
Parliamentary commissioner for standards, Daniel Greenberg, began an investigation into Ms Ferrier's conduct on 12 October following her self-referral. The MP had taken a Covid test on Saturday 26 September 2020 because she had a "tickly throat".
He concluded that she had put her own personal interest ahead of the public interest by not immediately self-isolating in London, and had therefore caused "possible risk of harm to health and life for people she came into contact with". While awaiting her results, she went to church on the Sunday and later spent more than two hours in a bar in Prestwick, Ayrshire.
The commissioner also said her actions had "caused significant damage to the reputation and integrity of the House of Commons as a whole, and of its members generally" and noted that people in many other walks of life would have been sacked for a similar breach of the lockdown rules. She then travelled to London by train - which had 183 passengers on board - on the Monday and spoke in the Commons later that day.
A short time later she found out that she had tested positive for the virus.
Ferrier took a train back to Glasgow the following day, fearing she would have to self-isolate in a London hotel for two weeks.
The commissioner concluded that she put her own personal interest ahead of the public interest by not immediately self-isolating in London, and had caused "possible risk of harm to health and life for people she came into contact with".
The commissioner also said her actions "caused significant damage" to the reputation of the House of Commons and noted that people in other roles would have been sacked for a similar breach of the lockdown rules.
Ferrier told the commissioner her self-referral was "an open acceptance" and an "indication of remorse" that she had brought Parliament into disrepute.Ferrier told the commissioner her self-referral was "an open acceptance" and an "indication of remorse" that she had brought Parliament into disrepute.
But she maintains that she did not put her personal interest above that of the public. But she maintained that she did not put her personal interest above that of the public.
It is not known how long the appeal process will take.It is not known how long the appeal process will take.
Related TopicsRelated Topics
House of CommonsHouse of Commons
RutherglenRutherglen
Margaret FerrierMargaret Ferrier
Coronavirus pandemicCoronavirus pandemic