An MP who travelled by train with COVID in the early stages of the pandemic is facing a 30-day suspension from the House of Commons – raising the possibility of a by-election.
Margaret Ferrier admitted she broke COVID rules in September 2020 by making the journey from London to Scotland despite having tested positive for the virus.
At the time, she was required to self-isolate under the law.
The former SNP politician was kicked out of her parliamentary party after the allegations emerged but resisted pressure to resign – and now sits as an independent.
Last year she pleaded guilty to wilfully exposing people “to the risk of infection, illness and death” and sentenced to 270 hours of community service.
Parliament’s standards committee launched an investigation when criminal proceedings finished and today recommended she be suspended from the Commons for 30 days.
The same sanction was recommended for Tory MP Owen Paterson after he was found to have broken lobbying rules – but he resigned in the wake of a scandal which saw Conservative MPs try to save him from the punishment.
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Under the rules, any suspension of 10 days or more can trigger the Recall of MPs Act which means that if 10% of an MP’s constituents sign a petition, a by-election shall be held.
However, MPs must vote to back the suspension.
If they do, Ms Ferrier can appeal the ruling or resign. In the case of the latter a by-election would be held which she would not fight.
The MPs on the standards committee are the same group that will adjudicate on whether Boris Johnson deliberately misled parliament over partygate.
The four Conservatives involved in Ms Ferrier’s probe wanted to reduce her suspension to just nine days – below the threshold of a potential by-election.
They were defeated in this case but hold a majority when it comes to deciding the former prime minister’s fate – as the standard’s committee also has seven lay members who backed the tougher punishment.
