Margaret Ferrier: Covid-positive MP faces calls to quit - BBC News

Margaret Ferrier is facing growing calls to resign as an MP after travelling on a London to Glasgow train after testing positive for Covid-19.

Ms Ferrier has been suspended from the SNP, but the party cannot sack her as an MP.

The SNP's Westminster leader has urged her to "do the right thing" and several MPs have openly called on her to step down from parliament.

Ms Ferrier has apologised and said she deeply regretted her actions.

The MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West said she was feeling ill over the weekend and was tested for coronavirus but decided to travel to Westminster on Monday before getting her result because she was "feeling much better".

She spoke in the Commons chamber during a coronavirus debate - tweeting a video of her speech - but was told later that evening that she had tested positive for the virus.

Despite this, Ms Ferrier took a train back to Scotland on Tuesday, with SNP whips in the Commons being told about positive test on Wednesday morning.

A spokesman for the party said: "The SNP's chief whip immediately informed parliament authorities.

"The SNP only became aware on Thursday that Ms Ferrier had been tested prior to travelling to London and had travelled back to Glasgow, knowing that she had a positive result".

SNP sources have been reported as saying that party leader Nicola Sturgeon was only told on Thursday afternoon - after she faced opposition leader at first minister's questions in the Scottish Parliament.

Ms Ferrier's actions became public when she tweeted an apology at about 6pm on Thursday, with the party announcing an hour later that it has suspended her.

Ms Sturgeon subsequently tweeted that the MP's actions had been "indefensible".

Police Scotland confirmed they had been contacted by Ms Ferrier, saying officers were "looking into the circumstances" and liaising with the Metropolitan Police Service.

Ms Ferrier could face a £4,000 fine for a first-time offence of coming into contact with others when she should have been self-isolating under a law that came into force on the day of her positive test.

Ian Blackford, the SNP leader at Westminster, told BBC Breakfast Ms Ferrier should "reflect very carefully on whether she can continue as a Member of Parliament for her constituents".

He said: "Nobody is above the law, nobody is above the regulations" and added: "I am calling on Margaret to do the right thing."

Glasgow East MP David Linden, one of Ms Ferrier's former SNP colleagues, earlier told BBC Question Time that she "should resign" as an MP.

SNP MPs Kirsty Blackman and Stephen Flynn have also called for her to step down.

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said Ms Ferrier's "reckless" actions had put the live of other people at risk.

He added: "It undermines the whole messaging of the Scottish government, the UK government and it has put people at risk - travelling hundreds of miles with symptoms and then with a Covid test result.

"At every turn there was an opportunity for Margaret Ferrier to minimise the risk to others and she ignored that."

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2020-10-02 07:12:20Z
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