Margaret Ferrier
Official portrait, 2021
Member of Parliament
for Rutherglen and Hamilton West
In office
7 May 2015 – 3 May 2017
Preceded byTom Greatrex
Succeeded byGed Killen
In office
12 December 2019 – 1 August 2023
Preceded byGed Killen
Succeeded byMichael Shanks
Personal details
Born (1960-09-10) 10 September 1960
Glasgow, Scotland
Political partyIndependent (since 2020)
Other political
affiliations		Scottish National Party (2011–2020)
Children1
EducationHolyrood Secondary School

Margaret Ferrier (born 10 September 1960) is a Scottish politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Rutherglen and Hamilton West from 2015 to 2017, and again from 2019 to 2023. She was first elected to the House of Commons at the 2015 general election as the Scottish National Party (SNP) candidate for the constituency. She lost her seat to Ged Killen of the Labour Party at the 2017 general election but regained it at the 2019 election.

In 2020, Ferrier was suspended by the SNP and had the party whip withdrawn for breaching COVID-19 lockdown rules. She continued to sit as an independent MP. Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP leader and first minister of Scotland, called on Ferrier to resign her parliamentary seat. She was arrested in January 2021 and charged with "culpable and reckless conduct",[1] for which she pleaded guilty and was later sentenced to community service. In 2023, she was suspended from Parliament for 30 days and a recall petition was opened in Rutherglen and Hamilton West, which unseated her and triggered a by-election. This was the first successful recall petition in Scotland under the Recall of MPs Act 2015.

Life and career

Early life and career

Ferrier was born on 10 September 1960[2] and brought up in the district of King's Park in Glasgow, attending Holyrood Secondary School.[3] After living with her family in Mallorca for two years, she moved to Rutherglen from 1972 to 1990 and then resided in Darnley. She has lived in the Halfway district of Cambuslang since 2000, where she joined the Rutherglen branch of the SNP in 2011 (in her youth she had been a Scottish Labour member).[3]

Until 2015, she was a commercial sales supervisor for Terex Equipment, a manufacturing construction company in Motherwell.[4][5]

Political career

Before her successful election to Westminster, Ferrier was previously a candidate for the Rutherglen South ward of South Lanarkshire Council in a 2013 by-election (following the death of Anne Higgins). She lost the election to Ged Killen of Scottish Labour.[6]

She became the member of Parliament (MP) for Rutherglen and Hamilton West after winning the seat at the 2015 United Kingdom general election;[7][8] she achieved 30,279 votes, 52 per cent of the total cast and a 31-per-cent swing from the previous incumbent and their party. She was the first female MP, and the first for the SNP, to be elected in the Rutherglen/Cambuslang portion of the constituency or its predecessor constituency of Rutherglen;[3] Winnie Ewing had previously served a short spell as the representative of the original constituency of Hamilton for the SNP.[9]

Ferrier narrowly lost the seat in the June 2017 election to Killen by 265 votes.[10][11] She stood as a candidate in the 2019 European Parliament election.[12] She was again selected as the SNP candidate for the seat in the 2019 general election, where she defeated Killen on a 5-per-cent swing and gained a majority of 5,240 votes, or 9.7 per cent.[13]

Breaches of COVID-19 regulations and resignation

On 1 October 2020, Ferrier made a public statement apologising for serious breaches of regulations imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. Five days earlier, on 26 September, she first noted symptoms of COVID-19 and took a test. She visited a gym, a beauty salon and a gift shop on the same day,[14][15] and gave a reading at a church service on 27 September.[16] Ferrier took a train from Scotland to London on 28 September and spoke in a debate in the House of Commons that evening.[17] She received a positive COVID-19 test result on the same day and returned to Scotland the next morning, again by train, having told her party whip that a family member was unwell.[17] Following her public statement, Ferrier was suspended from the SNP, and had the party whip withdrawn, meaning she no longer represented the SNP in Parliament but retained her seat as an independent MP.[18] She referred herself to the police and the parliamentary standards authorities.[19]

SNP leader and Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon said on 2 October that Ferrier had been guilty of the "worst breach imaginable". Sturgeon said she had told Ferrier that she should step down as an MP.[20] Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the speaker of the House of Commons, described her actions as "reckless".[21] The Scotsman's Gary Flockhart criticised Ferrier for hypocrisy in calling for government advisor Dominic Cummings to resign after he travelled to County Durham during the national lockdown before being found to have broken the rules herself.[22] Ferrier said that the coronavirus made her act "out of character",[23][24] an explanation that was dismissed by Sturgeon.[25]

In October 2020, Ferrier's Rutherglen constituency association announced that they had asked her to resign her seat over the scandal,[26] which she refused.[27] In the same month, the Metropolitan Police said they would be taking no further action on the matter.[28]

On 12 November 2020, Ferrier made her first appearance in the Commons since breaching COVID-19 regulations.[29] In view of the circumstances, Richard Leonard, the leader of Scottish Labour, described the appearance as "a gross insult to her constituents".[30] He accused her of gross selfishness and started a petition for her resignation from parliament.[31]

On 4 January 2021, Ferrier was arrested and charged by Police Scotland[32] with "culpable and reckless conduct".[1] On 3 February 2021 she appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court; no plea or declaration was made and she was given bail.[33] She pleaded guilty to the charge on 18 August 2022,[34] and on 13 September was sentenced to 270 hours of community service.[35]

On 30 March 2023, the Commons Select Committee on Standards recommended that she be suspended from Parliament for 30 days.[36] She lost her subsequent appeal on the recommendation, which was upheld on 22 May 2023[37] with the independent panel finding that she "acted with blatant and deliberate dishonest intent. She acted with a high degree of recklessness to the public and to colleagues and staff at the House of Commons. She acted selfishly, putting her own interests above the public interest."[38] The House of Commons voted to suspend Ferrier for 30 days, which led to a recall petition in Rutherglen and Hamilton West. The result of the petition was declared on 1 August; almost 15 per cent of eligible constituents had signed, unseating Ferrier and triggering a by-election in the constituency. Ferrier confirmed that she would not seek re-election.[39] The by-election, held on 5 October, was won by Michael Shanks of the Labour Party.[40]

Personal life

Ferrier lives in Halfway, South Lanarkshire, with her daughter.[41]

References

  1. 1 2 Carrell, Severin (4 January 2021). "Scottish MP Margaret Ferrier arrested over alleged Covid rule breach". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  2. ↑ Brunskill, Ian (19 March 2020). The Times guide to the House of Commons 2019: the definitive record of Britain's historic 2019 General Election. p. 318. ISBN 978-0-00-839258-1. OCLC 1129682574.
  3. 1 2 3 Dickie, Douglas (15 June 2015). "Rutherglen MP Margaret Ferrier opes up to the Reformer". Daily Record / Rutherglen Reformer. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  4. ↑ "Ferrier, Margaret". Who's Who. A & C Black. 2022. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U283916. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  5. ↑ Henshaw, William (5 February 2015). "SNP select Margaret Ferrier as candidate for Rutherglen and Hamilton West seat in the General Election". Daily Record / Rutherglen Reformer. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  6. ↑ Dickie, Douglas (20 February 2013). "Killen wins Rutherglen South for Labour". Daily Record / Rutherglen Reformer. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  7. ↑ "Election 2015: Rutherglen & Hamilton West". BBC News. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  8. ↑ Dickie, Douglas (8 May 2015). "Rutherglen and Hamilton West election results: SNP's Margaret Ferrier takes Labour hotspot with 52 per cent of the vote". Daily Record / Rutherglen Reformer. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  9. ↑ "No M.P. safe except me – Mrs Ewing". The Glasgow Herald. 4 November 1967. p. 1. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  10. ↑ Kerr, Aiden (9 June 2017). "Labour gain first Scottish seat from SNP in election". STV Group. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  11. ↑ Spooner, Murray (9 June 2017). "Labour takes Rutherglen and Hamilton West". Daily Record / Rutherglen Reformer. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  12. ↑ "SNP unveils its European Parliament election candidates". BBC News. 24 April 2019.
  13. ↑ "Rutherglen & Hamilton West parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  14. ↑ Feerick, Kirsty (2 October 2020). "SNP MP Ferrier who has Covid visited beauty salon and gym on day she took test". Daily Record.
  15. ↑ Brooks, Libby; Walker, Peter (2 October 2020). "Police investigate Margaret Ferrier as MP defies calls to step down". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  16. ↑ Mcilkenny, Stephen (6 October 2020). "Margaret Ferrier 'gave church reading' with Covid symptoms". The Herald. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  17. 1 2 Weaver, Matthew; Brooks, Libby (1 October 2020). "SNP MP Margaret Ferrier suspended for taking train after positive Covid test". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  18. ↑ Stone, Jon. "Margaret Ferrier: SNP leader says MP who travelled across country with coronavirus should resign". The Independent. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  19. ↑ "SNP MP Margaret Ferrier suspended after knowingly travelling on 4 hour train journey with virus". The Herald. 1 October 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  20. ↑ "Sturgeon: Covid trip MP must 'do the right thing'". BBC News. 2 October 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  21. ↑ "Commons speaker angry at 'reckless' Covid trip MP". BBC News. 2 October 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  22. ↑ Flockhart, Gary (1 October 2020). "Margaret Ferrier MP: Covid-19 rule-breaker called for Dominic Cummings resignation in May". The Scotsman.
  23. ↑ "Margaret Ferrier: Covid MP says virus 'makes you act out of character'". BBC News. 11 October 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  24. ↑ Robertson, Chris (11 October 2020). "Margaret Ferrier: MP who travelled with COVID says virus 'makes you do things out of character'". Sky News. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  25. ↑ Wade, Mike (11 October 2020). "Nicola Sturgeon dismisses Margaret Ferrier's 'out of character' defence". The Times. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  26. ↑ Richards, Xander (7 October 2020). "Margaret Ferrier: SNP Rutherglen association ask MP to resign her seat". The National.
  27. ↑ Sabljak, Ema (11 October 2020). "Margaret Ferrier will not resign after Covid train scandal". Glasgow Times.
  28. ↑ Monteith, Brian (15 October 2020). "SNP MP Margaret Ferrier avoids police action over Covid-19 trip". The Scotsman.
  29. ↑ Brown, Alexander (12 November 2020). "Margaret Ferrier makes first Commons appearance since positive Covid journey". The Scotsman. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  30. ↑ Sanderson, Daniel (12 November 2020). "Disgraced MP who flouted Covid rules 'shows brass neck' with Commons return". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  31. ↑ Rodger, Hannah (7 October 2020). "Labour's Richard Leonard launches petition for Margaret Ferrier's resignation". The Herald.
  32. ↑ Hutchison, Caitlin (4 January 2021). "MP Margaret Ferrier arrested by police over breach of Covid rules". The Herald. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  33. ↑ "MP Margaret Ferrier appears in court accused of Covid rule breach". BBC News. 3 February 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  34. ↑ "MP Margaret Ferrier pleads guilty to exposing public to Covid". BBC News. 18 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  35. ↑ Cameron, Lucinda (13 September 2022). "Margaret Ferrier: MP who took train while she had Covid given 270-hour community service order". Evening Standard. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  36. ↑ "Margaret Ferrier: Probe says MP should be suspended for Covid breach". BBC News. 30 March 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  37. ↑ "Margaret Ferrier: Covid train trip MP loses appeal over Commons ban". BBC News. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  38. ↑ "Appeal by Margaret Ferrier MP" (PDF). UK Parliament. Independent Expert Panel. 22 May 2023.
  39. ↑ "Margaret Ferrier: By-election triggered as Covid breach MP unseated". BBC News. 1 August 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  40. ↑ Bonar, Megan; Scott, Katy (6 October 2023). "Labour defeats SNP to win Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election". BBC News. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  41. ↑ "Margaret Ferrier for Rutherglen and Hamilton West in the UK Parliament elections". Who Can I Vote For? by Democracy Club.
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