‘Irresponsible’ Ferrier faces push to resign

‘Reckless’: Margaret Ferrier speaking in parliament after she displayed symptoms of the virus

DISGRACED MP Margaret Ferrier last night faced a push to remove her from office after she took a train from London to Glasgow with coronavirus.

The SNP politician had refused to stand down despite party leader Nicola Sturgeon urging her to quit over flouting self-isolation laws.

Scotland’s first minister Ms Sturgeon has now been urged to work with Labour and Tory counterparts to force Ms Ferrier out by getting her suspended by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards – meaning a recall petition can be triggered.

A by-election would be held if ten per cent of voters in her Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency wanted her removed.

Ms Sturgeon had previously said: ‘Her actions were reckless, dangerous and completely indefensible.’

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said: ‘If Margaret Ferrier will not listen to her call for her to resign, I’m calling on Nicola Sturgeon to work with me to get public petition in that constituency to put the pressure on so that Margaret Ferrier does step down.’

Douglas Ross, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, told Sky News he was ‘surprised, amazed and shocked’ that Ms Ferrier had not resigned, calling her actions ‘irresponsible and dangerous’.

And Scottish Lib Dems leader Willie Rennie urged her to ‘listen to the voice of reasonable people and just quit’.

Ms Ferrier had the whip withdrawn after she admitted taking a train to London and going to the Commons after displaying Covid symptoms – then, after a positive test result, returning to Scotland. Police are investigating her.