Lanarkshire MP Margaret Ferrier has lost her appeal against the sanction for her 2020 Covid rule breach, which could now result in a hotly-contested by-election in her Rutherglen & Hamilton West constituency.
An independent expert panel at the House of Commons dismissed her arguments against the proposed 30-day suspension from Westminster – which, if rubber-stamped by members, would allow a recall petition to be opened calling for local voters to be able to go back to the polls.
Its three members concluded that “none of the grounds had substance and the sanction imposed was neither unreasonable nor disproportionate”, concluding that although Ms Ferrier was “hugely apologetic and remorseful for her conduct, she acted with blatant and deliberate dishonest intent, a high degree of recklessness [and] acted selfishly, putting her own interests above the public interest. There could therefore be no lesser sanction.”
