Margaret Ferrier: 'I've made it crystal clear to her I think she should resign,' says Nicola Sturgeon

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has again called for MP SNP Margaret Ferrier to resign after she travelled from London to Scotland while knowing she had tested positive for coronavirus.

Following a tweet earlier today calling for the MP to quit, Ms Sturgeon made the second announcement during her daily Covid-19 briefing to the nation saying how “angry” she was on behalf of the country in response to Ms Ferrier’s actions.

Despite describing the Rutherglen and Hamilton MP as “a friend” and someone she “feels very close to,” the First Minister said she made it “crystal clear” to Ms Ferrier that she thinks she should resign.

Ms Sturgeon said: “I wish her a speedy recovery from Covid-19, but none of that changes the fact that her actions were reckless, dangerous and completely indefensible.

“I feel very angry on behalf of all of you.

“Every single day I stand here and I ask you to make horrendous sacrifices as part of our collective effort against Covid and it’s really important whether you are with me or not that you can have confidence in the advice I give you.

“The rules apply to everyone, regardless of who you are.”

Nicola Sturgeon and Margaret Ferrier

Having had symptoms over the weekend, Margaret Ferrier completed a coronavirus test, but travelled to London anyway while waiting for her results.

She then continued to breach the restrictions by attending parliament and giving a speech in the Commons while being unsure as to whether she had the virus or not.

Ms Sturgeon confirmed the SNP whip has been withdrawn from her which is “the most serious sanction a part can impose on an elected representative.”

She went on to say: “I have spoken with Margaret and she admits without reservation that she has made a very serious mistake and error of judgement."

Nicola Sturgeon

Ms Ferrrier, who faces becoming the first person in the UK to be fined £4,000 for “recklessly” leaving isolation, had stood up in the Commons at about 7pm on Monday night and paid tribute to the hard work of NHS and care workers during the pandemic.

She then received her positive test later that evening and proceeded to get on a train home from London, knowing she had coronavirus.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism.

Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Joy Yates

Editorial Director