Starmer goes to Rutherglen, but the by-election is delayed

The vote to ban the former SNP politician was due to take place at 5pm last night but reportedly couldn’t go ahead due to insufficient MPs in parliament.

Erskine May’s Guide to Parliamentary Procedures states that the House of Representatives can only have a quorum when 35 MPs can vote in a department.

CONTINUE READING: Shock as Margaret Ferrier suspension vote pushed back to June

There has been speculation from Labor that some Tory MPs were preparing to vote against the ban, fearing it would set a precedent if Boris Johnson was ultimately fined for misleading Parliament.

Labour’s Shadow Secretary Ian Murray claimed it was “a dirty backroom deal between Ferrier, Nationalists and some Tories who don’t want Boris Johnson to suffer the same fate.”

“This is an unholy alliance and utter incompetence designed to delay democracy and give the Tories and SNP a stay of execution at the ballot box while Ferrier takes a salary from the taxpayer,” he added.

Westminster is currently on hiatus with MPs not returning until June 5.

If MPs back the lengthy sentence when they are back in the House of Commons, it will spark Scotland’s first-ever recall petition.

If 10 percent of her constituents put their names on the petition within six weeks, Ferrier will lose her job and trigger a by-election.

Labor is confident of winning the constituency and campaigners have been campaigning solidly for weeks.

The Modern Studies teacher Michael Shanks was selected as the candidate. So far, he remains the only candidate selected by one of the major parties in the constituency.

Sir Keir was in Fife yesterday meeting with constituents in Kirkcaldy.

Ahead of the visit to South Lanarkshire this morning, Sir Keir said: “For too long the people of Rutherglen and Hamilton West have been let down by two bad governments and unrepresented by a missing MP.”

“The people of this region are crying out for change and for new policies that offer hope, work with their ambitions for their region and focus on their priorities.

“Only Labor can deliver the fresh start Rutherglen and Hamilton West need and only Labor will focus on tackling the cost of living crisis and building a brighter future for all of Scotland.”

Ms Ferrier would dismiss the lawsuit, which eluded her in the lawsuit. In her unsuccessful appeal of her sentence, she said she had “an impeccable parliamentary record” and that her “involvement in parliamentary affairs was almost unparalleled among my peers.”

The MP – who sits as an independent MP – said she had spoken 678 times and voted 528 times since the election.

CONTINUE READING: Dishonest, selfish and ruthless: The panel’s brutal verdict against Ferrier fails on appeal

It is not clear if any of her former SNP colleagues voted to end her career in Parliament last night.

When Humza Yousaf was previously asked by The Herald if he expected his MPs to vote in favor of the suspension, he replied unequivocally “yes”.

Previously, the party’s sole MP on the Commons Standards Committee backed attempts to ease the sentence.

Allan Dorans voted to suspend Ferrier for nine sitting days. Had that happened, it would have killed any chance of a recall request.

According to the procedure initiated in the course of the expenses scandal, it can only be initiated by a suspension of at least ten days of the meeting.

Joanna Cherry also criticized colleagues, saying the way Ferrier had been treated by some in the SNP was “shameful”.

“She is a thoroughly decent woman who made a terrible mistake that she has already paid dearly for,” she tweeted.

The SNP has confirmed that it will formally advocate for Ferrier to lose her seat.

Under the Recall Act 2015, parties, organizations and individuals can register with the Petitions Officer and spend up to £10,000 on the petition.

Ferrier was found guilty of culpable and reckless conduct in Glasgow Sheriffs Court last August after admitting to traveling on a train in September 2020 despite knowing she had Covid.

The MP also spoke in the House of Commons and visited a number of places in Glasgow including a mass at Mungo’s Church and a bar in Prestwick, Ayrshire while awaiting the results of a Covid test.

After the positive result was obtained, she lied to her colleagues and said she had to go home to visit a sick relative.

She was sentenced to 270 hours of community service after pleading guilty to willfully putting people “at risk of infection, disease and death”.