Margaret Ferrier
A Scottish National Party MP whose political career was abruptly ended by a breach of COVID-19 lockdown rules that sparked national controversy.
Born 1960 (age 66)·Scottish politician·Birthday: September 10·Baby Boomers
Biography
Margaret Ferrier's political story is a sharp ascent followed by a spectacular, self-inflicted fall. A former travel consultant and SNP activist, she scored a significant victory in 2015 by snatching the longtime Labour seat of Rutherglen and Hamilton West. After a narrow loss in 2017, she regained the constituency in 2019's SNP surge, seemingly securing her place in Westminster. However, in 2020, she made a decision that would define her legacy. After taking a COVID-19 test in Glasgow, she traveled by train to London to attend Parliament while awaiting the result. Upon receiving a positive result, she then took the train back to Scotland. This flagrant violation of lockdown rules she had publicly supported caused public fury and led to her suspension from the SNP. She sat as an independent until the 2023 by-election, triggered by a successful recall petition, where she lost her seat decisively, her political career undone by a single act of poor judgment during a global crisis.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Margaret was born in 1960, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Margaret Was Born
The biggest hits of 1960
#1 Movie
Swiss Family Robinson
Best Picture
The Apartment
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Margaret's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1960Born
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1965Started school
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1973Became a teenager
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Could drive
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1978Could vote
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Turned 21
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1990Turned 30
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 40
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 50
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 60
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 66 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Was elected as the SNP Member of Parliament for Rutherglen and Hamilton West in 2015, defeating a Labour incumbent.
- Regained the same parliamentary seat in the 2019 general election after losing it in 2017.
- Served on the House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee during her first term.
Did You Know?
Before entering politics, she worked as a travel consultant for over 20 years.
She was the first SNP MP to represent the Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency.
A recall petition in her constituency in 2023 gathered over 10% of the eligible voters, triggering the by-election that removed her.
“I have let my constituents down and I am truly sorry.”
