However the wet and windy weather is expected to continue over this weekend, as the Met Office forecast another "low-pressure system" approaching the UK from the east.
Steve Ramsdale, Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “It’ll be quite a miserable end to the working week for southern and south-west England as Storm Alex brings heavy rain and strong winds tomorrow, with coastal gales of around 60-65mph for some.
“Away from the south it’ll be a more pleasant day, with light winds and bright spells for much of northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
"However, as the strong winds and rain associated with Storm Alex clear away from Britain later on Friday, another low-pressure system moves towards the UK from the east bringing further very heavy rain and strong winds to many over the weekend.”
Scotland's first minister has urged Margaret Ferrier to resign as an MP after she travelled from Glasgow to London with Covid-19 symptoms, then returned home after testing positive.
Nicola Sturgeon, who is also the SNP leader, said she had "made clear her view" to Ms Ferrier that she should "do the right thing" and step down.
Ms Ferrier has been suspended by the SNP, but cannot be sacked as an MP.
She has apologised and said she "deeply regretted" her actions.
In a tweet sent on Friday morning, Ms Sturgeon said Ms Ferrier was a "friend and colleague" and she had asked her to step down "with a heavy heart".
She added: "Her actions were dangerous and indefensible. I have no power to force an MP to resign but I hope she will do the right thing."
The MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West said she had experienced "mild symptoms" on Saturday and was tested for coronavirus. However, she decided to travel by train to Westminster on Monday before getting her result because she was "feeling much better".
She spoke for four minutes 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 her positive test on Wednesday.
It is understood she had initially told the party she was going home because a family member was unwell.
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 leaders at first minister's questions in the Scottish Parliament.
I’ve spoken to Margaret Ferrier and made clear my view that she should step down as an MP. I did so with a heavy heart - she is a friend & colleague - but her actions were dangerous & indefensible. I have no power to force an MP to resign but I hope she will do the right thing.
Ms Ferrier's actions became public when she tweeted an apology at about 18:00 on Thursday.
SNP sources initially said they would await the result of a police investigation into her actions before deciding whether or not she would be suspended.
But the party announced her suspension about an hour later, with Ms Sturgeon subsequently tweeting that the MP's actions had been "indefensible".
One person has been identified as a close contact of Ms Ferrier's and is now self-isolating, parliamentary authorities said.
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 that Ms Ferrier had broken the law and should therefore "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.
It is quite clear senior figures in the SNP now think Margaret Ferrier should quit Parliament.
I'm told Ms Ferrier has been left in no doubt about Nicola Sturgeon's view that she needs to quit Parliament after a call this morning.
It's worth highlighting the SNP didn't initially suspend her. A senior source told me they'd wait until the police had investigated before making a decision.
The party has also faced questions about why it didn't probe Ms Ferrier more after she revealed she had tested positive on Wednesday.
They say it only became clear she had travelled with symptoms and a positive result yesterday.
But the anger at Westminster and beyond means there is no way back for Ms Ferrier in the SNP. She is under huge pressure to quit - but at the moment that decision is hers alone.
At the time, she said his actions had "undermined the sacrifices that we have all been making in lockdown to protect each other from coronavirus" and described his position as "untenable".
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said Ms Ferrier's "reckless" actions had put the lives of other people at risk, and has questioned the SNP's timeline of events.
Mr Ross said: "The SNP say they only found out about any wrongdoing on Thursday. That means we're supposed to accept that the SNP found out Margaret Ferrier tested positive on Wednesday - and asked nothing.
"The public is expected to believe SNP bosses didn't think to ask a single question, not one, about when she tested positive, where she had been or who she had been around, despite her appearance in the Commons earlier that week.
"The SNP's timeline is full of holes and any reasonable person can see that."
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Shadow Scottish secretary Ian Murray also demanded answers from the SNP to the "very serious questions" surrounding the behaviour of Ms Ferrier.
In a letter to Mr Blackford, the Scottish Labour MP wrote: "We are faced with catastrophic, negligent actions by an MP which have put lives at risk.
"You and your party's slow response leaves much to be desired, and the party must come forward with a full and clear explanation. Commons staff and the wider public deserve nothing less."
Ms Ferrier won the Rutherglen and Hamilton West seat from Labour in the 2019 general election with a majority of 5,230.
'It's obvious what she needs to do': Margaret Ferrier's own SNP allies demand she QUITS as she faces £4,000 fine for 800-mile round trip to Commons after contracting virus
SNP's Margaret Ferrier facing fury for flouting coronavirus self-isolation rules
Travelled to House of Parliament while suffering symptoms and taking a test
Took train 400 miles back to Scotland after testing positive for the disease
One person at Commons has been told to self-isolate as contacts are traced
Contact tracers are descending on Parliament today after an SNP MP flouted self-isolation rules to attend the Commons.
Margaret Ferrier is facing universal condemnation for her 'utterly indefensible' behaviour in going to Westminster while suffering symptoms - and then taking a train back to Scotland after her test was positive.
The flagrant breach of quarantine law is punishable with a £4,000 fine, and Ms Ferrier is also being urged by her own colleagues to resign as MP for Rutherglen & Hamilton West.
The SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford, who has already stripped her of the whip, said this morning that she must 'reflect on her position'. 'I think it is obvious what she needs to do,' he told BBC Breakfast.
The Commons said one person who had come into contact with Ms Ferrier had been told to self-isolate, with investigations into who else might be at risk set to continue. Extra cleaning precautions have also been taken - although the damage might already have been done.
Astonishingly, the 60-year-old received a positive result on Monday night and still appeared in the Commons chamber (pictured), speaking in a debate on coronavirus and its impact on the economy and jobs
Her own leader, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, branded her MP's actions 'utterly indefensible' and said it was hard to express 'how angry' she felt
Margaret Ferrier's statement in full
'I apologise unreservedly for breaching Covid-19 restrictions by travelling this week when I shouldn't have. There is no excuse for my actions.
'On Saturday afternoon, after experiencing mild symptoms, I requested a Covid-19 test which I took that day. Feeling much better, I then travelled to London by train on Monday to attend Parliament as planned. This was wrong, and I am very sorry for my mistake.
'On Monday evening I received a positive test result for Covid-19. I travelled home by train on Tuesday morning without seeking advice. This was also wrong and I am sorry. I have been self-isolating at home ever since.
'I have used Test and Protect and I have notified the House of Commons authorities who have spoken with Public Health England. I have also notified the police of my actions.
'Despite feeling well, I should have self-isolated while waiting for my test result, and I deeply regret my actions. I take full responsibility and I would urge everyone not to make the same mistakes that I have, and do all they can to help limit the spread of Covid-19.'
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SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon condemned the MP's 'utterly indefensible' behaviour and welcomed her having the whip suspended, but there were calls for Ms Ferrier's resignation including from within the party.
The Rutherglen and Hamilton West MP said she took a test on Saturday afternoon after experiencing 'mild symptoms', meaning she should have self-isolated, before travelling by train to London on Monday having felt better.
Labour suggested the party covered up knowledge of Margaret Ferrier's actions after it emerged they knew of her diagnosis a day before she disclosed it on Thursday evening.
She spoke in the coronavirus debate in the House of Commons on Monday and, by her account, tested positive for Covid-19 that evening. She did not make clear whether she received the result before or after she spoke.
In a statement, she said she travelled home to Glasgow on Tuesday, where she has been self-isolating ever since.
Police Scotland said the MP informed them of her behaviour on Thursday and officers are 'looking into the circumstances' along with the Metropolitan Police.
The Commons said she did not inform her party whip until Wednesday afternoon and that one person was identified as a close contact and told to self-isolate.
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.
'Despite feeling well, I should have self-isolated while waiting for my test result, and I deeply regret my actions,' she said.
The SNP gained the Rutherglen and Hamilton West seat from Labour in the 2019 general election, when Ms Ferrier won with a majority of 5,230.
Ms Sturgeon welcomed Ms Ferrier being stripped of the whip, and said: 'It's hard to express just how angry I feel on behalf of people across the country making hard sacrifices every day to help beat Covid. The rules apply to everyone and they're in place to keep people safe.'
David Linden, the SNP MP for the Glasgow East constituency neighbouring Ms Ferrier's, has called for her to go.
He told BBC Question Time her behaviour is 'utterly inexcusable', adding: 'I don't think her position is tenable and she should resign.'
The actions of Ms Ferrier are all the more astonishing because earlier this year she was outspoken in criticising the Government for defending No10 advisor Dominic Cummings when he was accused of breaching lockdown
Margaret Ferrier said she was 'very sorry' for travelling from her Rutherglen seat to attend the Commons.
Margaret Ferrier: Comeback MP who won her old seat off Labour in 2019 - only to be suspended less than a year later for Covid-19 train journey
Margaret Ferrier, 60, is MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West, in central Scotland.
As an SNP candidate, she won the seat in 2015 in the party's landslide on the back of the 2014 Independence referendum.
She was almost instantly made a party spokesperson on Scotland and was elected to the Commons Scottish Affairs Committee.
However she was narrowly beaten by Labour in the 2017 General Election.
But in last year's poll she retook the seat. Until tonight, she was the SNP's spokesperson on manufacturing.
Ms Ferrier was born in Glasgow but lived in Spain for several years when she was a child.
In an interview with the Daily Record, she said she had been a member of Scottish Labour in her youth.
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This has since been echoed by Kirsty Blackman, SNP MP for Aberdeen North, and Stephen Flynn, SNP MP for Aberdeen South.
Ms Blackman said that while Ms Ferrier is an 'unparalleled' campaigner for the party, she must resign.
'Margaret's actions cannot be overlooked,' she added in a tweet.
Mr Flynn retweeted Ms Blackman's post, writing: 'Impossible to disagree. The public will expect nothing less.'
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross, who resigned from Boris Johnson's Government over Dominic Cummings' lockdown movements, said 'the public deserve clear answers'.
'We now know that the SNP were informed on Wednesday that Margaret Ferrier had been tested, after she had already travelled back to Scotland from London by public transport while infected with the virus,' he said.
'These actions not only broke the law, they will have put lives at risk.
'We must hear from Nicola Sturgeon and Ian Blackford about exactly when they knew and why they kept this information secret from the public for hours or maybe even days.'
Shadow Scottish secretary Ian Murray also demanded answers from First Minister Ms Sturgeon and Mr Blackford.
The Labour MP tweeted: 'SNP in chaos & appear to be covering up serious breach of public health laws.
'FM & Blackford must hold press conference tomorrow am to answer questions about what they did & didn't know.'
An SNP spokeswoman insisted the party did not know until Thursday that Ms Ferrier had taken a test prior to travelling to London.
'Ms Ferrier informed the SNP on Wednesday, when she was in Glasgow, that she had tested positive,' she 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.'
On Monday, Ms Ferrier gave a four-minute speech in the Commons from 7.15pm and focused on the 'economic health' of her constituents, calling for greater financial support.
A Police Scotland spokesman said officers are liaising with colleagues in the Metropolitan Police.
'Margaret Ferrier MP contacted Police Scotland earlier today about travelling between London and Scotland after testing positive for coronavirus,' he said.
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".
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."
SNP MP Margaret Ferrier is the latest high-profile figure to break coronavirus rules.
But what did she do and how does it compare to the political world's other rule-breakers?
Image:Margaret Ferrier, SNP MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West
Saturday 26 September
Ms Ferrier, MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West, started experiencing "mild symptoms" of coronavirus in the afternoon and took a test. It is not clear where she was at the time.
Monday 28 September
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Ms Ferrier said she was "feeling much better" so took a train from to London.
That evening, she gave a four-minute speech in the House of Commons during a debate on coronavirus.
At some point she received a positive result from the test but it is not clear whether this was before or after her parliamentary address.
Tuesday 29 September
Ms Ferrier said she boarded a train in the morning without seeking advice but began isolating when she arrived in Glasgow.
Wednesday 30 September
Two days after being notified about the positive test, she informed the SNP. Party officials have said they did not know at this stage that she had taken the test before travelling to London.
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle was also told and contact tracing began.
Thursday 1 October
Ms Ferrier reported herself to Police Scotland and released a statement saying she was "very sorry for my mistake" and admitting she should have isolated while awaiting her test result.
SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford suspended the whip from Ms Ferrier and party officials said they became aware she had taken a test before departing for parliament and had travelled back to Scotland knowing it had come back positive.
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon condemned her actions as "utterly indefensible", but, despite growing calls for Ms Ferrier to go, Ms Sturgeon did not announce her sacking.
Other people who have found themselves in the spotlight over the lockdown rules:
Jeremy Corbyn
The former Labour Party leader attended a dinner with eight other people, breaking the "rule of six", which limits the number of people in social gatherings.
The report in The Sun said Mr Corbyn had apologised.
Stanley Johnson
The prime minister's father said he was "extremely sorry" after being pictured shopping in west London without wearing a face covering on 29 September, many weeks after they became mandatory.
Dominic Cummings
The prime minister's closest aide drove to Durham in March, more than 260 miles from where he lives in London - and after the prime minister instructed people they must stay at home.
He was recovering from coronavirus symptoms at the time but, despite calls for him to resign, he said he had behaved "reasonably" and had no regrets.
Professor Neil Ferguson
The scientist resigned in May from his role as a key government adviser after admitting that he had undermined social distancing rules by meeting his lover at his home.
Scotland Yard said his behaviour was "plainly disappointing" but did not fine him because he had "taken responsibility".
Dr Catherine Calderwood
Scotland's chief medical officer broke lockdown restrictions twice in April by visiting her second home, more than an hour away from her main residence in Edinburgh.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon wanted her to stay but she ultimately resigned.
Robert Jenrick
The housing, communities and local government secretary travelled more than an hour to visit his parents in April while everyone else was being told to stay at home.
Mr Jenrick was also criticised for travelling 150 miles from his London property to his Herefordshire home from where he travelled to his parents' home in Shropshire.
He insisted he was delivering food and medicine to his isolating parents.
After Mr Kinnock posted a photo on Twitter of himself practising social distancing with his parents outside their home, South Wales Police replied: "We know celebrating your dad's birthday is a lovely thing to do, however this is not essential travel."
UK and European Union negotiators are meeting in Brussels this week for the ninth and final round of talks as both sides desperately try to find a crucial breakthrough and thrash out an agreement that can be rubber-stamped later this month. Michael Gove issued a huge warning to Brussels claiming the UK would happily walk away without a Free Trade Agreement if Brussels fails to compromise on a number of red lines that have continually held up talks. Now Express.co.uk readers have overwhelmingly backed the UK to leave the EU without a post-Brexit Free Trade Agreement in place.
The latest poll, which ran from 11am until 10pm on Thursday October 1, asked: “Would you be happy with Britain leaving EU without a trade deal?”
A huge 91 percent of the 23,690 people who voted - backed the move, with the remaining nine percent disagreeing. Less than one percent were undecided.
Responding to the poll, one Express.co.uk reader said: "Walk away Boris. We don't want any deal with the EU and we never have.
"Can't you understand that that is why you are Prime Minister? We want to be totally free. Leave the EU behind forever."
A second person commented: "A deal is impossible. The UK has to protect its rights as a sovereign country. The EU doesn't accept that the UK can regain those rights.
"They will never be able to bridge that gap. Yet trade will still continue with the EU, businesses will find a way of doing business, probably just on a sector-by-sector basis.
"In the short term, the EU will have to get used to less fish and the UK will have to get used to less wine.”
Another Express.co.uk reader wrote: "The benefits to the EU from having the UK outside the bloc cannot be greater than the benefits from having the UK as a member.
Speaking during the Blue Collar Conservatism/Daily Express virtual conference this week, he said: “In the past, with some of the negotiations we have had with the EU we bent over backwards to be accommodating and we didn’t get the benefit of the doubt as a result.
“So now we are going to be absolutely crystal clear with the EU as we have been over the course of the last few weeks.
“Look if you are not going to talk turkey with us that’s fine. We can leave, we can say that’s it, no negotiated outcome we are ready come what may."
The Cabinet Office minister also dismissed reports Britain is conceding to the EU in a number of areas, adding: “The EU has this sort of 'kidology' approach.
“They try to use tactics to make voters in Britain and British politicians worried.
“I think one of the reasons they are coming out with this now is that they know in these negotiations we have stood firm throughout.”
Mr Johnson triggered the fury of EU leaders last month by pressing ahead with the Internal Market Bill, which would override key elements of the Withdrawal Agreement with the EU and consequently, risks breaking international law.
Downing Street insists the legislation is needed to protect the Northern Ireland peace process if Britain is unable to secure a deal with the EU.
But the European Commission has opened legal proceedings against the UK, with President Ursula von der Leyen confirming a "letter of formal notification" would be sent after ministers rejected a demand to withdraw the provisions from the Bill by Wednesday.
