The SNP will face "anger" from voters in Rutherglen following the suspension of shamed MP Margaret Ferrier, Labour has claimed.
A by-election in the constituency has moved a step closer after the former Nationalist was today temporarily suspended from the House of Commons for breaking covid rules.
Ferrier lost the SNP whip in October 2020 after she admitted travelling via train from London to Glasgow despite having tested positive for coronavirus.
She will be ousted from her seat if 10 per cent of voters in Rutherglen and Hamilton West now sign a recall petition against her - which would then force a by-election later this year.
The constituency is a key Labour target and the party has stepped up its local campaigning significantly in recent weeks.
On a visit to a Rutherglen-based food business today, Anas Sawar said he was confident local voters would be sufficiently motivated to force a by-electIon.
"What the anger with Margaret Ferrier will do is deliver signatures for a recall petition and a by-election," he said.
"Our argument in a by-election will be that only Labour is thinking about the future.
"Only Labour is confident about Scotland's opportunities, and only a Labour MP can champion Rutherglen and Hamilton West."
Asked if anger towards Ferrier over her covid rule-breaking may have faded over time, Sarwar said: "Not from the conversations we're having on the doorstep and across the communities.
"Often in cases like this, politicians think the longer you let it run for weeks and weeks is that somehow the public will forgive and forget.
"I don't get the sense that the people of Rutherglen and Hamilton West are willing to forgive or forget.
"Margaret Ferrier should do the right thing and resign - but she's not done the right thing at any stage of this process, so the good people of Rutherglen and Hamilton West will have to force her resignation by signing the recall petition."
Asked if some voters may view Ferrier as having been harshly treated compared to other politicians like Boris Johnson, Sarwar added: "I want to get rid of them both.
"I don't think Boris Johnson should be anywhere near parliament. Just because we haven't got rid of Boris Johnson yet, is not a reason we should not get rid of Margaret Ferrier."
Ferrier was in the Commons chamber today as MPs approved her suspension.
Any MP who misses 10 sitting days due to suspension is at risk of a by-election – but 10% of voters in their constituency must sign a recall petition.
SNP MP David Linden said: “There must now be a by-election, which the SNP has been calling for since Ms Ferrier’s Covid rule-breach first came to light in 2020.
“People in Rutherglen and Hamilton West are paying an unacceptable price for the damaging policies of the Tories and pro-Brexit Labour Party, as the cost of living soars."
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