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Mike Amesbury MP has been suspended from the Labour Party after CCTV footage emerged which appears to show he punched one of his constituents in the face before attacking the victim while he was on the floor.
The footage, obtained by MailOnline, shows Mr Amesbury squaring up to one of his constituents at 2.15am on Saturday in his constituency of Runcorn and Helsby, Cheshire.
He proceeds to punch the victim in the face, who then falls into the road. The Labour MP then punches the victim at least six times more while he is on the ground.
The Labour politician, who has now lost the whip, has claimed he “felt threatened” in the run-up to the exchange and was later filmed telling the victim never to threaten him again as others attended to the injured man.
Cheshire Police confirmed a 55-year-old man had been voluntarily interviewed under caution in relation to the incident after officers were called to reports of an attack in Frodsham at 2.48am on Saturday. “He has since been released pending further inquiries,” the force said.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Mike Amesbury MP has been assisting Cheshire Police with their inquiries following an incident on Friday night. As these inquiries are now ongoing, the Labour Party has administratively suspended Mr Amesbury’s membership of the Labour Party pending an investigation.’’
On Saturday, before the video of the attack emerged, Mr Amesbury, 55, said: “Last night, I was involved in an incident that took place after I felt threatened on the street following an evening out with friends.
“This morning, I contacted Cheshire Police myself to report what happened during the incident. I will not be making further public comment but will, of course, co-operate with any inquiries if required by Cheshire Police.
“I remain fully committed to working hard for the people of Runcorn and Helsby, and am determined to remain an open and accessible MP for our community.”
Asked whether the Labour Party was investigating, Bridget Phillipson, education secretary, told Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme: “Mike Amesbury, who’s the MP in question, has gone forward to the police.
“He is cooperating with any investigation they would want to take forward. It is a matter for the police and we want to allow them to do that work.”
In July last year, a 56-year-old man was convicted of stalking the MP at his constituency office in Frodsham, where prosecutors said he was seen staring through the glass and asked guards about their level of security.
A Conservative Party spokesman said: “Mike Amesbury has questions to answer about his actions and it is right they are thoroughly investigated.”
Robert Jenrick, the Tory leadership candidate, wrote on X: “Labour’s promised to ‘smash the gangs’. Looks like they’re now smashing their constituents instead.”
Reform UK called for him to resign so that a by-election could be held in his seat. The party came second in the constituency at the general election with 7,662 votes to Mr Amesbury‘s 22,358.
A Reform spokesperson said: “The new footage of Mike Amesbury MP is damning. No matter what verbal exchanges happened before, it’s never acceptable for anyone to resort to violence to solve a dispute, let alone a sitting member of parliament.
“It’s quite clear that the people of Runcorn and Helsby deserve far better than this.”
Source: independent.co.uk
