Labour MP Mike Amesbury has been suspended from the party and had the whip withdrawn, following the emergence of CCTV footage apparently showing him punching a man to the ground. According to the Daily Mail, video footage shows the Runcorn and Helsby MP continuing to hit the man as he lay in the street. Cheshire Police have now said that a 55-year-old man has been voluntarily interviewed under caution about the incident and has since been released pending further enquiries. Amesbury, who has been serving Cheshire since 2017 and won his constituency in the July general election with a majority of 14,696, has been contacted for comment.
Another video purportedly shows Amesbury shouting and swearing at the man lying in the street in Frodsham, Cheshire. Before the Daily Mail footage emerged, Cheshire Police stated that Amesbury had been involved in an incident involving a caller who reported being assaulted by a man in Main Street. In a statement, a Labour party spokesman explained that Amesbury was assisting the police with their inquiries, but as the inquiries are ongoing, the party have administratively suspended him until further investigation.
The details of what led to the events caught on film are unclear, but Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson says the police are now investigating, and the Conservative Party has claimed Amesbury has questions to answer about his actions. Amesbury was a shadow minister between 2018 and 2024, but a spokesperson for Reform UK, whose candidate came second behind Amesbury in the July general election, called for him to resign.
Former Conservative MP Dehenna Davison, who campaigns to raise awareness of the dangers of a single punch, called the CCTV footage “horrendous.” She added that while the police are investigating, she is sure the full facts will emerge soon. In 2023, a 56-year-old man was found guilty of stalking and harassing Amesbury at his constituency office and around town
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