By Bill HeaneyMargaret Ferrier, the disgraced SNP MP, pictured right, has appealed the Standards Committee’s recommendation she be suspended from the Commons for 30 days.
Her decision pushes the prospect of a by-election in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West down the road, possibly even until the next General Election.
Currently sitting as an independent, the MP was found to have broken Covid laws, with even the likes of SNP party leader Humza Yousaf to Westminster leader Stephen Flynn calling for her to resign.
Ms Ferrier pleaded guilty to breaking Covid travel rules last year and was given 270 hours of community service. She did a test on September 26, 2020 after showcasing symptoms including a cough.
She has always resisted calls to stand down and continues to pick up her MP’s salary as an independent.
In a short letter to the Speaker of the House the Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, fellow MP Sir Stephen Irwin the Chair of the Independent Expert Panel officially confirmed that Ms Ferrier wants the proposed penalty reconsidered however it is not clear on what grounds the argument will be made.