British politics has witnessed some spectacular byelections over the past four years – with Liberal Democrats ousting Conservatives in the west of England, and Labour overturning a 20,000 Tory majority in Yorkshire. But there is a strong case for saying that the single most pivotal byelection of the current parliament has not taken place yet. Such a contest was, however, triggered this week by the announcement of the successful recall petition against Margaret Ferrier, the former Scottish National party (SNP) MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West, who had most recently been sitting as an independent.
Ferrier has had to quit because she broke pandemic regulations in September 2020. Unwell, she travelled from Scotland to Westminster, spoke in a Commons debate and then, having tested positive for Covid, returned north by train. She pleaded guilty to an offence in 2021, for which she was sentenced to community service, and in March this year MPs voted to suspend her for 30 days. On Tuesday it was announced that 15% of her constituents had signed the recall petition, sparking the long-expected contest.
