Margaret Ferrier under investigation by parliament watchdog

Margaret Ferrier is under investigation by the parliament’s standards commissioner after breaking Covid laws.

The MP admitted culpably and recklessly exposing the public to the virus in court over the summer.

Following the guilty plea, she was ordered to carry out 270 hours of unpaid work.

The parliamentary commissioner for standards has now launched an investigation into her conduct and whether it caused “significant damage to the reputation of the House as a whole”.

It is also investigating whether she broke the section of the MP code of conduct relating to a “conflict between private interests and the public interest”.

The representative for Rutherglen and Hamilton West travelled from London back to Glasgow by train after testing positive for Covid in September 2020.

She lost the SNP whip shortly after the news emerged, but has resisted calls for her resignation.

However, if the parliamentary watchdog finds she did breach the code of conduct and is MPs subsequently vote to suspend her from the House for at least 10 sitting days, this could trigger a recall petition.

This allows the electorate to trigger a special election to remove an MP before the end of their term.

Ferrier has been approached for comment.