COVID rulebreaker MP Margaret Ferrier has tonight been booted out of her £86,584 job after thousands of constituents signed a petition to eject her.
The former SNP politician, 62, was convicted of culpable and reckless conduct a year ago over her 2020 trip from London to Scotland while knowing she had the virus.
Margaret Ferrier was ousted by her constituents as an MP
Despite a backlash including from her own party, Ms Ferrier refused to quit her Rutherglen and Hamilton West seat.
But she later lost an appeal against a 30-day Commons suspension, triggering a six-week Recall petition process over the summer.
Returning officers tonight revealed that 11,896 voters had signed up to get rid of Ms Ferrier – amounting to 14.66% per cent, and well above the 10 per cent or 8,113 threshold required to sack her.
It means the first Recall by-election in Scotland will be held since rules allowing the sacking of a MP mid term came into force in 2015.
Labour are the runaway bookies’ favourites to grab the seat after Ms Ferrier won it for the SNP in 2019, with the contest representing a first parliamentary test for new First Minister Humza Yousaf.
A date for the vote is not expected to be confirmed until the Commons returns in September, but is likely to be October.
Ms Ferrier was sentenced to 270 hours of community service last year over her notorious Covid breach.
Election rules mean any MP removed by a recall petition is allowed to stand in the subsequent by-election, but it’s unclear if Ms Ferrier will try to cling on.
The SNP has already selected Katy Loudon, a councillor in South Lanarkshire, to fight the seat.
Labour have selected teacher Michael Shanks as their candidate.
Three previous Recall petitions have been held for MPs since the procedure was introduced for the Commons.
No similar system is in place at Holyrood.
In 2018, the DUP’s North Antrim MP Ian Paisley Jr faced a petition after being suspended from the Commons for failing to declare hospitality from the Sri Lankan government.
But it only attracted signatures of 9.4 per cent of constituents, falling narrowly short of the 10 per cent threshold.
In 2019, Labour’s Peterborough MP Fiona Onasanya lost her seat after 25 per cent of voters signed a Recall petition when she was jailed for three months for perverting the course of justice.
She did not contest the subsequent by-election.
Also in 2019, Chris Davies, the Tory MP for Brecon and Radnorshire, lost his seat after 19 per cent of electors signed the petition when he was convicted of parliamentary expenses fraud.
He was selected as the Tory candidate in the subsequent by-election, but lost.
Scottish Labour Deputy Leader Jackie Baillie said “The people of Rutherglen and Hamilton West have made their voices heard and demanded change.
“For far too long the area has been failed – let down by two incompetent governments and left voiceless in Parliament by their rule-breaking MP.
“This cannot go on a day longer than it needs to – the SNP must call a by-election at the very first opportunity so Rutherglen and Hamilton West can get the representation it deserves as soon as possible.
“Scottish Labour’s candidate Michael Shanks is ready to hit the ground running and be the local champion his home constituency deserves. It’s time for a fresh start in Rutherglen and Hamilton West and Scottish Labour can deliver it.”
SNP leader Humza Yousaf said: “At every stage of this campaign, the SNP will promote the interests and needs of all the people of Rutherglen and Hamilton West.
“By contrast, Labour in Scotland is a mere branch office, doing the bidding of their bosses at Westminster.
“Katy Loudon is the strong voice of progress for the constituents of Rutherglen and Hamilton West.”
Scottish Conservative Deputy Leader Meghan Gallacher MSP, said: “Margaret Ferrier’s constituents have delivered a very clear verdict on her reckless and selfish actions at the height of the pandemic.
“Of course, this by-election would have happened a lot sooner if she had done the right thing and resigned as an MP straight away.
“Instead, she brazenly stuck it out to the bitter end, which was a total insult to her constituents who made huge sacrifices during Covid.
“I am looking forward to campaigning with our superb candidate, Thomas Kerr, and speaking to voters in this constituency about their real priorities.”
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