A weekly newspaper has repeated its plea for an MP to resign after she was convicted of breaching coronavirus rules.

The Rutherglen Reformer has urged Margaret Ferrier to quit after she admitted culpably and recklessly exposing the public to the virus.

The former Scottish National Party MP, who now represents Rutherglen and Hamilton West as an independent, breached Covid rules by travelling on a train between Scotland and London after being told to self-isolate in September 2020.

At the time, the Reformer called on her to resign over the scandal in an open letter published on its front page – a call repeated last week following her guilty plea at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

Former Reformer editor Douglas Dickie has had his say on the issue in a column for the Scottish Daily Express, where he now works as content editor.

Douglas wrote: “I followed her through the 2015 general election campaign, covered a hustings event when she famously botched a comment on ‘full fiscal autonomy’ and was there when she scored a stunning victory over the much-respected Labour MP Tom Greatrex.

“It was one of the biggest shocks of a momentous night and I still remember one opponent quipping ‘Margaret better get her dancing shoes ready’ when I enquired how the count was going.”

He added: “Rutherglen has been home to some fantastic politicians but the town has been left with a lame duck MP. She has clung on and the time to quit has long since passed.

“But she has one final opportunity to do the decent thing. Her time as an MP is up, the people of Rutherglen and Hamilton West deserve better.”

Ms Ferrier previously referred herself to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards and the police over the matter and said she “deeply regrets” her actions.