Yvette Cooper has supported critics who say a former Labour MP who was jailed for punching a constituent should be stripped of his pay while behind bars.
The home secretary agreed it is “unacceptable” that under parliamentary rules, Runcorn and Helsby MP Mike Amesbury will continue to receive his full £91,000 salary during his 10-week imprisonment for assault.
Asked by the BBC’s Emma Barnett: “Can you believe he is on full pay?” Ms Cooper replied: “Everything that has happened is unacceptable here. It is why the Labour Party took action immediately to stop him being a Labour MP and stop him being in the Labour Party.”
Ms Cooper again commented on Amesbury’s pay when pressed about the issue on the Today programme.
Ms Barnett said: “He’s an MP, and I know you just said that is unacceptable.” Ms Cooper replied: “Yes, the exchange follows the disclosure that Commons rules mean an MP who is jailed does not automatically lose their pay.”
“I think the Runcorn constituents deserve better and we want to see a new MP in place as swiftly as possible,” she added.
On Monday he was sentenced to 10 weeks in jail, which will trigger a recall petition and pave the way for a by-election, pending any appeals by Amesbury.
It has since emerged that Amesbury will continue being paid his salary until he ceases to be an MP, which would follow the six-week recall petition period and could see him paid as much as £10,500, as well as his pay accrued during the appeals process.
Critics have rounded on the MP after the sentence, urging him to “do the honourable thing” and step down immediately so a by-election can be held.
A spokesperson for Reform UK, which would be Labour’s main challenger in a by-election to take the seat, agreed that Amesbury “should not be paid whilst he sits in jail”.
Amesbury’s constituents told The Independent he would not welcomed back as an MP as they urged him to step down.
Senior Labour figures, including now leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell, have previously spoken out about MPs being paid behind bars.
After Fiona Onasanya, in 2019, became the first sitting MP to be jailed in 30 years, for perverting the course of justice after lying to police over a speeding ticket, Ms Powell said the public would be “outraged” she was still being paid in prison while the Labour Party urged her to resign.
At the time, former chair of the committee on standards in public life Sir Alistair Graham called for her pay to be blocked.
Amesbury’s sentence came after he pleaded guilty earlier this year to assaulting 45-year-old Paul Fellows.
The incident occurred in Main Street in Frodsham, Cheshire, in the early hours of 26 October, after Amesbury had been drinking.
Upon arriving at a taxi rank, he was approached by Mr Fellows who began to remonstrate about a bridge closure in the town.
Footage showed Amesbury punch Mr Fellows to the head, knocking him to the ground, then follow him onto the road and start to punch him again, at least five times.
The court heard Mr Fellows had an injury to his head and reported a headache, as well as a superficial graze to his elbow.
When arrested, Amesbury said he had acted in self-defence and suggested he felt “threatened” and “intimidated”, the court heard.
Speaking outside court after entering his guilty plea, Amesbury said: “I’m sincerely sorry to Mr Fellows and his family.” He was ordered to pay £200 compensation to Mr Fellows.
Amesbury’s future as an MP is in doubt despite his lawyer indicating that he will appeal his sentence. If his appeal fails, the recall petition will be triggered, and if 10 per cent of his constituents sign it, Amesbury will face a by-election.
Labour has said he will not be admitted back into the party, suggesting they will stand another candidate in a contest to replace him – which represents a major challenge for Sir Keir Starmer as he looks to fend off Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
Reform UK chair Zia Yusuf said: “The great people of Runcorn deserve far better than waiting six weeks for a recall petition to take place.
“We call on Mike Amesbury to do the honourable thing and resign immediately so a by-election can be held.”
