Former Labour MP Mike Amesbury has been sentenced to 10 weeks in prison after pleading guilty to assaulting a man during a late-night altercation in Cheshire.
The 55-year-old, who was first elected to Parliament in 2017, got into an altercation with Paul Fellows, a constituent, while drinking in Frodsham last October.
Incident Caught on CCTV
During a hearing at Chester Magistrates’ Court, prosecutor Alison Storey detailed how the incident unfolded at around 2 a.m. on October 26.
She explained that Amesbury and Fellows were alone at a taxi rank when the situation escalated.
CCTV footage captured the moment Amesbury punched Fellows in the face after shouting “What?” multiple times.
The footage then shows Amesbury following the victim into the street and striking him five more times, reportedly saying: “You won’t threaten your fing MP again, will you?”* before walking away.
Although Amesbury admitted to the assault in January, he denied being aggressive or making threats before the physical altercation.
Injuries and Legal Proceedings
The attack left Mr Fellows with a lump on his head and a graze on his elbow. The prosecution noted that it was unclear whether these injuries resulted from the punches or from falling to the ground.
Ms Storey also emphasized that Fellows did not retaliate and showed no aggression during the encounter.
Sentencing and Labour Party Response
Amesbury’s legal representative described the incident as “extremely regrettable”, arguing that the CCTV footage lacked audio of the preceding conversation, which allegedly contained remarks that provoked Amesbury.
Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram handed down a 10-week jail sentence.
Following reports of the incident, Amesbury was suspended from the Labour Party and now sits as an independent MP.
A Labour Party spokesperson condemned his actions, stating: “The Labour Party took swift action following Mike Amesbury’s completely unacceptable behavior.
He is no longer a Labour MP or member of the party.
The people of Runcorn and Helsby deserve better representation, and we look forward to them electing a new Labour MP in the future.”
Possible By-Election Under Recall Process
A recall petition has been launched in the Runcorn and Helsby constituency, giving voters six weeks to decide whether Amesbury’s seat should be vacated. A by-election will be triggered if 10% of eligible voters sign the petition.
Since the Recall of MPs Act 2015 was introduced, six MPs have faced recall petitions.
DUP MP Ian Paisley survived him in 2018 after failing to reach the 10% threshold. Labour’s Fiona Onasanya, SNP’s Margaret Ferrier, and Conservative Peter Bone lost their seats after their petitions succeeded.
Other MPs affected by recalls include Chris Davies, who lost his seat after a conviction for false expense claims, and Scott Benton, who resigned before his recall petition concluded following a sting operation by a UK newspaper.
With the recall process now in motion, Amesbury will have to decide whether to contest a potential by-election.
