Scotland's first recall petition has been published following Covid-breach MP Margaret Ferrier's suspension from Parliament and lists places across Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency where voters can sign it and when.

The document has been unveiled by Cleland Snedden, the petition officer, who is also the returning officer for South Lanarkshire council.

It reveals that 8,113 voters in the constitutency are required to sign the petition before Ms Ferrier can be removed as the local MP and a by election called.

READ MORE: Margaret Ferrier MP loses appeal against Commons suspension

Ms Ferrier, a former SNP MP, who is currently an independent MP, was banned for 30 days from the Commons this week.

MPs voted in favour of her suspension for the period after the Westminster standards watchdog recommended the punishment after she was found guilty in court of breaking lockdown restrictions, including travelling by train after contracting the virus.

Details of the petition are given on the South Lanarkshire council website.

The document states: "There will be a petition to decide whether Margaret Ferrier, the MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West should lose her seat as an MP, and a by-election held to decide who would be the MP for that constituency.

"The petition has been started because Margaret Ferrier, MP has been suspended from sitting in the House of Comments for a period of 30 days for breaching the code of conduct for MPs."

READ MORE: Sarwar claims SNP fear by election and demands Ferrier resigns as MP

It says the signing period is from 9am on Tuesday 20 June 2023 to 5pm on Monday 31 July 2023.

The designated petition signing places are at:

Blantyre Leisure Centre, Glasgow Road, Blantyre G72 0JS
Cambuslang Institute, 37 Greenlees Road, Cambuslang G72 8JE
Fernhill Community Centre, 12 Auchenlarie Drive, Fernhill, Rutherglen G73 4EQ
Rutherglen Town Hall, 139 Main Street, Rutherglen G73 2JJ
South Lanarkshire Council Election Office, Beckford Street, Hamilton ML3 0BT
South Lanarkshire Lifestyles Eastfield, Glenside Drive, Rutherglen G73 3LW
South Lanarkshire Lifestyles Fairhill, Neilsland Road, Hamilton ML3 8HJ

It says that the petition will be open to sign from 9am until 5pm each working day during the period and also gives a list of hours outwith the working day when it is available to sign. 

READ MORE: Panel's brutal verdict on Ferrier as appeal fails

The council stated that extended opening hours would be on:

9am to 8pm on Monday 26 June, Tuesday 4 July, Wednesday 12 July, Thursday 20 July and Thursday 27 July.

It will also be open from 9am to 1pm on Saturday 1 July and Saturday 22 July.

Voters are eligible to sign the petition if they are a registered elector for the Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency and aged 18 or over (or the date of their 18th birthday is before the end of the signing period).

Mr Sneddon said new applications to sign the petition by post must be received by the Electoral Registration Office no later than 5pm on 14 July and new applications to sign the petition by proxy must be received no later than 5pm on 21 July.

The petition also stated: "Publication of 10% threshold.

"After receiving the Speaker’s notice under section 5 of the Recall of MP’s Act 2015 the Petition Officer herewith gives public notice of:

(a) the number of persons who are entitled to sign the petition as 81,124

(b) the number of persons who would need to sign the petition for the petition to be successful in accordance with section 14 of the Recall of MP’s Act 2015(a) (determination of whether recall petition successful) as 8,113."

If the petition is successful Ms Ferrier would see be sacked as an MP and a by election in the seat called, probably this autumn.

A contest is being seen as a major test for First Minister and SNP leader Humza Yousaf and for Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.

Scottish Labour, which has selected modern studies teacher Michael Shanks to fight a possible by-election, believes it can win the constituency they last had in 2017.

Ms Ferrier won the seat for the SNP in the 2019 general election with a 5,230 majority.

The SNP has not yet selected a by-election candidate for the constituency. 

Ms Ferrier was found guilty of culpable and reckless conduct at Glasgow Sheriff Court last August after she admitted travelling 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 locations in Glasgow, including a mass in Mungo’s church and a bar in Prestwick, Ayrshire, while waiting for the results of a Covid test.

After the positive result came through, she lied to colleagues and said she had to go home to visit a sick relative. 

She was ordered to carry out 270 hours of community service after pleading guilty to wilfully exposing people “to the risk of infection, illness and death”.