NEWS STORY : Margaret Ferrier Suspended From the House of Commons for 30 Days
STORY
Margaret Ferrier, the former SNP MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West, has been suspended from the House of Commons for 30 days due to her breach of Covid-19 regulations. In September 2020, she travelled from Scotland to the House of Commons and back again by train while she was aware that she had likely contracted coronavirus. The suspension was approved by a majority vote of MPs in the Commons of 185 to 40, with 32 Tories voting against it. This sanction opens the likely possibility of a by-election if 10% of Ferrier’s constituents add their names to a recall petition. If triggered, the by-election would test Labour’s chances of making gains in Scotland in the next General Election and be the first major electoral test for Humza Yousaf, the new SNP leader and Scottish First Minister, with the SNP winning the constituency at the 2019 election with a majority of 5,320. Ferrier’s suspension has received mixed reactions, with supporters of Boris Johnson accused of planning to block the motion, fearing it could set a precedent.
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