Keir Starmer in by-election nightmare after Labour suspends MP for punching man

Labour is facing calls for a by-election after it suspended an MP who was filmed on CCTV punching a member of the public to the ground.

The party today announced Mike Amesbury, 55, Mp for Runcorn and Helsby, has been suspended over an altercation with a man in the early hours of Saturday.

It comes as Cheshire Police confirmed it had interviewed a 55-year-old man under caution in connection with the alleged assault, before he was released pending further enquiries.

A force spokesperson said: “in relation to reports of an assault in Main Street, Frodsham, which was reported at 2.48am on Saturday 26 October, a 55-year-old man has been voluntarily interviewed under caution by police in relation to this incident. He has since been released pending further enquiries.”

He has also had the whip withdrawn, after the party initially appeared to stand by him when he said he had acted in self defence after facing a threat.

But, CCTV footage today obtained by the Daily Mail appeared to call this into question, as he was seen to throw the first punch, and then continue an attack on the man as he lay on the ground.

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.”

This has the automatic effect of suspending the Labour whip in the House of Commons.

The party said it would not be commenting further.

Before the announcement of the suspension, Reform UK had called on Mr Amesbury to resign.

A Reform UK Spokesman 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.

“Reform UK are today calling for Mike Amesbury to do the honourable thing and resign immediately so a by-election can be held.”

Yesterday we reported on a video that showed Mike Amesbury yelling at a man on the ground, saying: “You won’t threaten me again, will you?”

The incident happened at about 2:15am yesterday in the town of Frodsham. A man could be heard in the video saying: The MP of Runcorn, f*****g smacking someone on the floor.”

Mr Amesbury released a statement saying he acted in self-defence after receiving a threat.

Now CCTV of the incident, filmed from a different angle, appears to show Mr Amesbury throwing the first punch.

The clip appears to show Mr Amesbury hitting the man in the head without any physical act from the other man first.

The man then falls to the ground and Mr Amesbury appears to go towards him and appears to hit him or try to hit him about six more times.

Police were already investigating the incident after the MP contacted police to make them aware of it after the first video surfaced on X.

Police also said it was reported to them within half an hour of it happening.

In the original recording, in which no punches were seen, Mr Amesbury was seen leaning over the man and was heard to say, “You won’t threaten me again”, before leaning in closer and adding: “You won’t ever threaten me ever again, will you?”

Mr Amesbury, who has been the MP for the area since 2017, released a statement yesterday saying that he was acting in self-defence after receiving a threat.

He said: “This morning, I contacted Cheshire Police myself to report what happened during this incident. I will not be making further public comment but will, of course, cooperate 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.”

A spokesperson for the Labour Party said yesterday: “We are aware of an incident that took place last night involving Mike Amesbury MP. We understand that Mr Amesbury approached Cheshire Police to report what happened this morning himself, and that he will cooperate with any inquiries they have.”

In the original clip, Mr Amesbury then goes to leave as a man points out that he is: “The MP Of Runcorn.”

The MP is then seen returning and seemingly confirming he is the MP, adding: “Yes I am, yes I am, and you won’t threaten the MP ever again, will you?” He repeats it a number of times, before leaving.

Mr Amesbury had posted on X on Friday images of himself attending a meeting with the Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Dan Price, and local Frodsham Labour councillors in the town to listen to residents’ concerns regarding policing and community safety.

Mr Amesbury has been contacted for comment.