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Glasgow Live
Glasgow Live
National
Steven Brown

Rutherglen MP Margaret Ferrier could face by-election after Commons committee recommends suspension

Margaret Ferrier could face a by-election as a Commons standards watchdog recommended she should be suspended from Parliament for 30 days for breaching Covid-19 rules.

The Rutherglen and Hamilton West MP was found to have damaged the reputation of the Commons and put people at risk after taking part in a debate and travelling by train while suffering from Covid-19.

On Saturday September 26 2020, Ms Ferrier developed symptoms and took a Covid-19 test, but the following day she attended church and had lunch with a family member.

READ MORE: Two Glasgow teens attacked by armed thugs in Yoker in unprovoked assault

On Monday, September 28, while awaiting the results of the test - she travelled by train to London, took part in a Commons debate and ate in the Members' Tearoom in Parliament, that evening she received a text telling her the test was positive. Instead of isolating, she travelled back to Scotland by train the following morning.

Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Daniel Greenberg said Ms Ferrier had breached code of conduct for MPs "by placing her own personal interest of not wishing to self-isolate immediately or in London over the public interest of avoiding possible risk of harm to health and life".

She also breached the code because "her actions commencing from when she first took a Covid-19 test to when she finally begins self-isolation have caused significant damage to the reputation and integrity of the House of Commons as a whole, and of its Members generally".

The Commons Standards Committee recommended she should face a 30 day suspension, which MPs will be asked to approve.

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