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The MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West spoke in a debate in the House of Commons before returning to Scotland after her positive test was confirmed.
Scotland’s prime minister has urged Margaret Ferrier to resign as a MP after she traveled from Glasgow to London with symptoms of Covid-19 and then returned home after testing positive.
Nicola Sturgeon, who is also the leader of the SNP, said she “made her point of view clear” to Ms Ferrier that she should “do the right thing” and step down.
Ms. Ferrier has been suspended by the SNP, but cannot be fired as a deputy.
He apologized and said he was “deeply sorry” for his actions.
In a tweet sent Friday morning, Sturgeon said Ferrier was a “friend and colleague” and had asked her to resign “with a heavy heart.”
She added: “His actions were dangerous and indefensible. I have no power to force a deputy to resign, but I hope he does the right thing.”
The Rutherglen and Hamilton West MP said she had experienced “mild symptoms” on Saturday and was tested for coronavirus. However, she decided to travel by train to Westminster on Monday before getting her result because she was “feeling so much better.”
He spoke for four minutes in the House of Commons during a debate on the coronavirus, tweeting a video of his speech, but was told later that night that he had tested positive for the virus.
Despite this, Ms Ferrier took a train back to Scotland on Tuesday, and SNP Whips in the Commons were informed on Wednesday of her positive test.
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Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted that Ms Ferrier’s actions were “indefensible”
It is understood that he initially told the party that he was going home because a family member was unwell.
A party spokesman said: “The SNP’s main whip immediately informed the parliament authorities.
“The SNP learned on Thursday that Ms Ferrier had been tested prior to traveling to London and had traveled back to Glasgow, knowing she had a positive result.”
SNP sources were reported to have said party leader Nicola Sturgeon was only told on Thursday afternoon, after she clashed with opposition leaders on the prime minister’s questions in the Scottish Parliament.
Ms Ferrier’s actions became public when she tweeted an apology around 6:00 p.m. Thursday.
SNP sources initially said they would await the outcome of a police investigation into her actions before deciding whether or not she would be suspended.
But the party announced its suspension about an hour later, and Sturgeon later tweeted that the MP’s actions had been “indefensible.”
One person has been identified as a close contact for Ms Ferrier and is now isolating herself, parliamentary authorities said.
Scotland Police confirmed that they had been contacted by Ms Ferrier, saying officers were “investigating the circumstances” and in contact with the Metropolitan Police Service.
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Ms Ferrier could face a £ 4,000 fine for a first-time offense for coming into contact with other people when she should have been self-isolating under a law that went into effect on the day of her positive test.
Ian Blackford, the leader of the SNP in Westminster, told BBC Breakfast that Ms Ferrier had broken the law and therefore should “reflect very carefully on whether she can continue as a Member of Parliament for her constituents.”
He said: “Nobody is above the law, nobody is above the regulations” and added: “I ask Margaret to do the right thing.”
Glasgow East MP David Linden, one of Ms Ferrier’s former SNP colleagues, previously told BBC Question Time that she “should resign” as a MP.
SNP MPs Kirsty Blackman and Stephen Flynn also asked him to resign.
Five days a week, every week, Nicola Sturgeon appears on television, answers questions about her coronavirus policies, and urges everyone to abide by the rules.
So for the MP who has committed the most egregious violation of regulations, possibly the law, being one of theirs is extremely embarrassing.
The SNP leader who was quick to condemn others for breaking the rules has made no attempt to defend or excuse Margaret Ferrier.
This is the prime minister who fired his chief medical adviser for violating lockdown rules in April and who demanded the firing of the prime minister’s top adviser, Dominic Cummings, after he admitted to violating the regulations.
He quickly condemned Margaret Ferrier’s behavior as “absolutely indefensible.”
SNP MPs publicly called on Ms Ferrier to resign and Ms Sturgeon spoke to her this morning and made it clear that she should resign as a member of parliament.
But the problem for the SNP is that they cannot force MP Rutherglen and Hamilton West to leave their jobs. They have already removed the party whip and suspended her from the SNP. But that’s all they can do.
Read more from Sarah
Ferrier was one of the MPs who asked the prime minister’s adviser, Dominic Cummings, to step down in the wake of controversy over his visit to northeast England during the shutdown.
At the time, he said that his actions had “undermined the sacrifices we have all been making in the confinement to protect each other from the coronavirus” and described his position as “unsustainable.”
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said Ferrier’s “reckless” actions had put other people’s lives at risk and has questioned the SNP’s chronology of events.
Ross said: “The SNP says they found out about any wrongdoing on Thursday. That means we are supposed to accept that the SNP found out that Margaret Ferrier tested positive on Wednesday and didn’t ask anything.
“The public is expected to believe that SNP bosses did not think to ask a single question, not a single one, about when he tested positive, where he had been, or who he had been with, despite his appearance in the Commons earlier. of that week.
“The SNP’s schedule is full of holes and any reasonable person can see it.”
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Scottish Shadow Secretary Ian Murray also demanded answers from the SNP to “very serious questions” surrounding Ms Ferrier’s behavior.
In a letter to Mr Blackford, the Scottish Labor MP wrote: “We are faced with catastrophic and negligent actions by an MP that have put lives at risk.
“The slow response from you and your party leaves much to be desired, and the party must come forward with a full and clear explanation. The Commons staff and the general public deserve no less.”
Ferrier won Labor’s Rutherglen and Hamilton West seats in the 2019 general election with a majority of 5,230.
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