A SUSPENDED Labour MP who was allegedly caught on camera punching a man to the ground did so after an argument about the Winter Fuel Payment, reports have said.
Mike Amesbury, the MP for Runcorn and Helsby who was previously a Labour shadow minister, is alleged to have hit Paul Fellows after the heated discussion which also centred on the temporary closure of a local bridge, The Times reported.
CCTV footage first reported by the Daily Mail appears to show the pair talking, before Amesbury punches Fellows to the ground, followed by further punches.
This footage shows MP Mike Amesbury punching a man in the street. He has been suspended by the Labour Party following the incident. pic.twitter.com/mOcO87qwa3
— Sky News (@SkyNews) October 27, 2024
Another video, reported over the weekend and filmed on a mobile phone, appeared to show the MP shouting and pointing his finger at a man lying in the street.
“You won’t ever threaten me again, will you?” he appeared to say.
The video also allegedly shows Amesbury identifying himself as the local MP, then saying: “You won’t threaten the MP ever again, will you?”
On Monday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer defended Labour’s decision to suspend him.
The Labour leader sidestepped a question about whether Amesbury should resign as an MP, but said: “I have seen the video footage, it’s shocking.
“We moved very swiftly to suspend him as a member and as a Member of Parliament.
“There is now a police investigation and in the circumstances you will appreciate there’s not much more I can say about that.”
One of Starmer’s most senior ministers said the footage was “very graphic”.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden told Sky News: “He’s been suspended by the Labour Party – that also means he’s not a Labour MP at the moment while the police investigation takes place.
“I’ve seen the video, there is a police investigation, I think it’s important that that runs its course.”
Questioned further about the clip, McFadden added: “The video is very graphic, the police will look into that, I’m sure they’ll take it into account and they’ve got to reach their conclusion.”
The party said on Sunday that the MP – who was part of Labour’s shadow ministerial team from 2018 to 2024 but failed to secure a frontbench role after the election – had been suspended.
A Labour 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.”
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 assault in Frodsham at 2.48am on Saturday.
“He has since been released pending further inquiries,” the force said.
Amesbury said on Saturday that he will “co-operate with any inquiries,” but was “determined to remain an open and accessible MP for our community” after the initial footage circulated online.
He said in a statement: “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.”
Shadow health secretary Victoria Atkins said the video footage was “shocking” and it was “disappointing” that it took some time for Labour to act and suspend Amesbury after the first images emerged on Saturday.
“It took a little bit of time for the Labour Party to act,” she told Sky News on Monday morning.
“That is disappointing, because obviously the video speaks for itself, but we’ll have to let the police investigate this and for things to run through to their natural conclusion.”
