The disgraced MP Margaret Ferrier has been ousted from the Commons, triggering another by-election where Labour will have the chance to double their seats north of the border.

The Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency will be put back to the polls after a recall petition - the fourth in UK history - met the threshold to spark a fresh vote.

The initial challenge was set in motion when the former SNP MP was suspended from the Commons for 30 days over a major breach of Covid rules.

She had already been instructed to carry out 270 hours of unpaid work after she admitted putting the lives of others at risk by ignoring orders to self-isolate in September 2020.

The results on Tuesday evening revealed that 11,896 of the 81,000 registered voters in Rutherglen and Hamilton West had signed the petition, exceeding the 10 per cent needed to trigger a by-election.

It means Ms Ferrier has now been forced to vacate her seat, presenting an opportunity for Sir Keir Starmer to build back Labour’s presence in Scotland, where his party currently has just one MP.

The contest also represents the first parliamentary test for Humza Yousaf, the Scottish First Minister and new SNP leader.

Ms Ferrier, who sat as an independent after being kicked out of the SNP, snatched the seat from Labour in 2019 with a majority of 5,230.

But Sir Keir will have high hopes of winning it back following a resurgence in support north of the border. It also comes at a difficult time for the SNP, as the party has been plunged into turmoil by the police investigation into its finances.

Lord Hayward, the Tory polling guru, said the by-election will be a “key test” of a Labour fightback.

“If Labour can’t take the seat after all the SNP travails it will be a serious setback for Keir Starmer,” he told The Telegraph.

Labour has selected Michael Shanks, a teacher, as its candidate, and Sir Keir has already campaigned in the seat.

Ms Ferrier admitted she had culpably and recklessly exposed the public “to the risk of infection, illness and death” at a hearing at Glasgow Sheriff Court last year.

She took a Covid test after experiencing symptoms of the virus in September 2020, but rather than isolate, she visited several businesses and a church in her local area and then took a train from Glasgow to London.

She then attended Parliament, speaking in the Commons, and conversed for 20 minutes with Jim Shannon, the DUP MP, at a time when Covid vaccines were not yet available. 

After learning she had the virus, she then travelled by train back to Glasgow, rather than self-isolate in London.