Suspension of MP over Covid breaches raises prospect of byelection

An MP who broke Covid rules in the early stages of the pandemic is facing a 30-day suspension from the House of Commons, raising the prospect of a byelection in her Glasgow seat.

- Pippa Crerar Severin Carrell

Margaret Ferrier, the independent MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West, was found by the standards watchdog to have damaged the reputation of parliament and put the public at risk when she travelled by train after testing positive for Covid. 

If the recommended 30-day punishment is agreed by a vote in the Commons, it would automatically trigger a recall petition, opening up the possibility of a byelection in a seat won by the Scottish National party in 2019, after a Labour win in 2017. The length of suspension could also raise concerns among supporters of Boris Johnson, who is under investigation by the privileges committee for misleading parliament over the Partygate scandal.

However, the standards committee was split on Ferrier’s sanction, with three of the four Conservative MPs on the committee, which has the same membership as the one considering Johnson’s fate, plus lay members, voting against a lengthy suspension.