Shamed MP Margaret Ferrier has spent 1000's of kilos of taxpayers’ cash on eye- wateringly costly flights to London in simply six months. She took 15 journeys costing from £450 to £533 a time between June 2021 and January 2022, totalling £7074.22, the Sunday Mail can reveal.
Ferrier, who's on an £81,932 wage, misplaced the SNP whip and acquired a legal conviction after travelling to parliament by practice whereas contaminated with Covid on the top of the pandemic. Since then, she has been flying on govt BA providers from Glasgow straight into London Metropolis airport – all paid for by taxpayers.
On most weeks, an easyJet flight between the 2 cities might be booked prematurely for between £50 and £100, and practice tickets can be found for about £160. Amongst Ferrier’s £533 journeys was one declare made on November 1 – when baby poverty and stretched public spending budgets was mentioned within the Commons chamber.
Labour’s Monica Lennon mentioned: “At a time when tens of millions of individuals face a devastating cost-of-living disaster, MPs have an obligation to not waste public cash and to verify they're making cost-effective journey selections. The proper factor could be for Margaret Ferrier to take herself off the general public payroll by standing down and permitting a by-election to happen in her constituency.
“Nonetheless, I think the SNP are fairly comfortable to see her proceed in her function whereas racking up 1000's of kilos’ travelling bills moderately than face that prospect.” Scottish Conservative MSP Graham Simpson mentioned: “That is the most recent jaw-dropping instance of Margaret Ferrier’s lack of self-awareness.
“She ought to have accomplished the respectable factor and resigned as an MP way back however taxpayers are persevering with to foot a hefty invoice for her travelling all the way down to Westminster. Her behaviour on the top of the pandemic was reckless and irresponsible and now she’s been discovered responsible.
“That ought to solely speed up the method of eradicating her as an MP but it surely appears like she needs to squeeze the effectively dry earlier than that probably happens.” Flights to New York, Dubai or Toronto are often accessible from Glasgow for about £500 – lower than the worth Ferrier pays to get to London.
She spent an additional £700 on airport parking over the six-month interval, together with £300 for a six-month cross in January. She has refused to step down as an MP, regardless of having little likelihood of profitable a future election and now not being allowed to symbolize the SNP in parliament.
A spokeswoman for Ferrier mentioned the flights have been all economic system fares. The MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West claimed £133,326.72 in bills in 2021. Whereas it's regular for Scottish MPs to say travelling bills to Westminster from their constituencies, rail tickets or economic system flights can be found for a fraction of the worth.
Earlier this month, Ferrier was ordered to undertake 270 hours of unpaid work for recklessly exposing the general public “to the danger of an infection, sickness and loss of life” after breaking Covid legal guidelines on the top of the pandemic. Her lawyer Brian McConnachie urged Sheriff Principal Craig Turnbull to not impose a custodial sentence and described the 62-year-old MP as a “real first-time offender”.
He mentioned the 48-hour interval the place Ferrier travelled between Scotland and London, attended quite a lot of occasions and spoke in parliament was the “one and solely interval the place she has come into battle with the regulation”. He additionally claimed she had the bottom bills declare for any Scottish MP.
Ferrier first skilled a “tickly throat” on September 26, 2020. She took a Covid check however, moderately than self-isolate as the foundations demanded, she attended mass and headed to the pub for two-and-a-half hours the subsequent day.
The day after, she travelled to London and took half in a debate on Covid. When she acquired the constructive end result at 8.03pm that evening, she met the SNP chief whip and instructed him she would want to go away parliament early and return to Scotland.
She didn't inform him concerning the constructive check and the SNP insists the celebration solely discovered when knowledgeable by the Home of Commons Take a look at and Hint crew. Scotland’s MPs claimed greater than £12million in bills in 2021, regardless of spending months working at residence through the pandemic.
The highest claimant – and third general within the UK – was SNP chief whip and Midlothian MP Owen Thompson, with £264,347 together with £33,141 on lodging and £11,463 on journey and subsistence. Scots Tory veteran David Mundell, the previous Scottish Secretary and MP for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale, was the second highest with £260,952. Mundell claimed probably the most of any Scots MP – £193,675 – for staffing prices to run his constituency and parliamentary places of work.
The remainder of the highest 10 was dominated by present and former SNP politicians, together with former chief whip and Glasgow North MP Patrick Grady – who stood down final yr amid sexual harassment allegations – in third place with £249,168. The SNP’s Martyn Day, MP for Linlithgow and East Falkirk, was fourth with £244,280 and Alba’s Neale Hanvey – MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath – was fifth with £243,347.
SNP Westminster chief Ian Blackford, MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber, was the eleventh highest claimant with £239,300, whereas Scottish Conservative chief and Moray MP Douglas Ross was seventeenth with £228,194.
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