Margaret Ferrier, the former Scottish National politician who is now independent MP for Rotherglen and Hamilton West, admitted at a hearing at Glasgow Sheriff Court last month that she had exposed the public to “risk of infection, disease and death”. . Despite repeated calls for her to do so and to the dismay of many of her constituents, she has refused to stand down, but may now face further investigation by Commons authorities now that the police investigation is complete. After the breach of the rule was revealed in October 2020, she immediately reported it to the police and the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards and apologized profusely for her conduct It emerged that she had visited venues in her constituency, including a beauty salon and a gift shop, while awaiting her test results, before traveling to London and addressing the Commons on September 28. After receiving a positive result, he decided to take a train back to Glasgow the next day because he was worried about having to isolate himself in a hotel room in London for two weeks. Prosecutor Mark Allan told the court: “The conduct amounted to reckless disregard for public safety.” First Minister Nicola Sturgeon described her actions at the time as “dangerous and indefensible”. If she is sanctioned by the House of Commons authorities, this could trigger a recall petition. He remains suspended from the SNP.
