MARGARET Ferrier has failed to say whether she would stand against the SNP as an independent candidate if there is a by-election in her constituency.

She told a Sunday newspaper she was continuing to work as an MP and had received support of local people.

She insisted she will not stand down as an MP despite calls by the First Minister asking her to do so.

However, she is currently facing an investigation by the parliamentary standards commissioner and could face a by-election if she is suspended from parliament and 10% of her constituents back a recall petition.

The National sent an email to Ferrier’s Commons’s address before 12 noon yesterday asking whether she would stand as an independent candidate in the event of a by election.

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But she did not respond by the time we went to press last night.

Nicola Sturgeon yesterday repeated her call for Ferrier to quit for breaching coronavirus rules by travelling on a train after developing symptoms.

The former SNP MP, who now sits as an independent MP, said she will not resign despite a public backlash over her journeys between Glasgow and Westminster with Covid-19 symptoms and then having tested positive for the virus.

She told yesterday’s Scottish Sun that having the infection caused her to “act out of character” and she “panicked” before taking the 350-mile trip by train back to Scotland.

The MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West, who was suspended by the SNP and had the party whip withdrawn over the saga, said she had no intention of standing down.

She told the paper: “This has been an awful experience but I’ll keep fighting for my constituents because that’s who I am.”

The MP said that she “panicked” and suggested that the virus impaired her judgement.

“A lot of people say Covid makes you do things out of character. You’re not thinking straight,” she said.

But speaking on Sky News’ Sophy Ridge On Sunday show, the First Minister said the breach was “unacceptable” and Ferrier should resign as an MP.

The First Minister said: “I couldn’t be clearer, she should step down from Parliament. The lapse of judgment in travelling hundreds of miles knowing she had tested positive for Covid-19 was so significant and so unacceptable that I don’t think there is any other acceptable course of action for her.

“I’ve read her comments in the media today but I still hope she will do the right thing.

“Every day, I have to stand and ask people across the country to do horrendously difficult things, to not visit their loved ones, and right now I’m asking people to understand why they can’t go to a pub or a restaurant.

“And it is unacceptable that somebody in her position flagrantly disregarded the rules like that and I cannot be clearer about that.

“It is not acceptable and she should resign.”

In her interview with the Scottish Sun, Ferrier, 60, said she has received support locally after the incident and has “owned up and apologised profusely”.

She also spoke out about the criticism she has received over the incident, adding: “You feel you are getting a lot of criticism from people you thought were your colleagues or friends who’d understand it was an error of judgment. I’m not denying that.

“People may be saying, ‘You should have known better, you’re a public figure’. But at the end of the day it still hurts.

“You then think about all that hard work and dedication – is that just wiped away?”

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Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said his party could retake the seat if there was a by election. It was held by Labour’s Ged Killen between 2017 and 2019.

Starmer said last week after hosting a public meeting in the constituency, via Zoom: “We’re completely up for it, we’re preparing for it, there should be a by-election because she should step down. We’ve won it in the past, we won it in 2017 and we can win it again but we need that by-election because it’s the right thing to do.”

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said last night: “Margaret Ferrier’s comments show she has learned nothing.

“She is refusing to face up to her reckless, selfish and dangerous behaviour.

“Her intention to cling on until the next election is treating her constituents with contempt.

“Providing that she is suspended from the Commons for more than 10 sitting days, I have no doubt that a recall petition would gather more than enough support to trigger a byelection.

“Margaret Ferrier should save them the trouble, rethink her arrogant stance, and resign.”

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross said there was no defence for Ferrier’s actions.