Margaret Ferrier | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2021 | |
| Member of Parliament for Rutherglen and Hamilton West | |
| In office 12 December 2019 – 1 August 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Ged Killen |
| Succeeded by | Michael Shanks |
| In office 7 May 2015 – 3 May 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Tom Greatrex |
| Succeeded by | Ged Killen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 September 1960 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Political party | Independent (since 2020) |
| Other political affiliations | Scottish National Party (2011–2020) |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Holyrood 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In 2020, Ferrier was suspended by the SNP and had the party whip withdrawn for breaching COVID-19 lockdown rules.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.
- ^ Carrell, Severin (4 January 2021). "Scottish MP Margaret Ferrier arrested over alleged Covid rule breach". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2021.