RICHARD Leonard was criticised yesterday after calling for the First Minister to “work with him” to get Margaret Ferrier removed from office through a Westminster parliamentary procedure.
The Scottish Labour leader tweeted that if the now-independent MP did not resign this weekend, he wanted Nicola Sturgeon to support a recall petition to remove her.
However responses on Twitter accused him of playing politics and said it should be a matter for her constituents.
Ferrier had the whip withdrawn by the SNP after she took a train from London to Scotland knowing she had coronavirus and has since apologised.
She has faced numerous calls to step down, including from Sturgeon, but the party cannot force her to quit as an MP. A recall of an MP can only be triggered by certain specific circumstances – such as if the MP has been suspended from the House for a specified period or if they are convicted of an offence and sentenced or imprisoned.
Leonard tweeted: “If Margaret Ferrier does not step down over the weekend, I am calling on @Nicolasturgeon to work with me – provided Ms Ferrier is suspended from the Commons for 10 sitting days – to support a recall petition to remove her from office.”
One response said Margaret Ferrier should resign but pointed out she is a Westminster MP, adding “neither you nor Nicola Sturgeon have anything to do with the process of her recall”.
The Metropolitan Police has launched a joint investigation with British Transport Police over alleged breaches of coronavirus laws by Ferrier.
She could face a £4,000 fine for a first-time offence of coming into contact with others when she should have been self-isolating.
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