Mike Amesbury, former MP of the Labour Party, decides to resign.
Mike Amesbury, former MP of the Labour Party, has decided to resign. The decision comes after he was convicted of assaulting a constituent by punching them. The incident led to a 10-week suspended prison sentence for Amesbury.
A 55-year-old public figure has remained silent since receiving a suspended 10-week prison sentence for assaulting Paul Fellows in Frodsham, Cheshire. The incident, captured on video, showed the individual punching Fellows after a night of drinking last October. Despite initial resistance, the MP for Runcorn and Helsby has now announced plans to resign from office “as soon as possible”.
If Mr. Amesbury’s prison sentence had not been suspended, he would have faced a recall petition. In such a scenario, if at least 10% of his constituents signed a petition to remove him as MP, a by-election would have been triggered.
Mr. Amesbury’s photo
After resigning from the Labour Party, which had already suspended him, Mr. Amesbury forfeited his candidacy with the party. Regardless of his future intentions to run again, he would not have been eligible as their candidate.
Mr. Amesbury’s political career collapsed following a widely publicised incident where he was captured on video punching Mr. Fellows in the head, causing him to fall to the ground. He continued to strike him at least five more times, accompanied by explicit language.
The Member of Parliament (MP) said, “You won’t threaten your MP again, will you?” According to Mr. Amesbury’s statements to the BBC, he expressed fears of losing his family, home, job, and now faces a criminal record due to recent events.
Read More: Mike Amesbury retires as MP after the assault conviction.
He expressed deep regret “I acted impulsively, and I’ll carry that mistake with me forever.” Mr. Amesbury’s sentence includes 200 hours of community service, participation in an alcohol monitoring program, completion of anger management courses, and 20 days of rehabilitation work.
“The Member of Parliament confirmed to the BBC that he intends to step down soon, emphasizing the necessity to follow specific procedures outlined by statutory redundancy protocols. Until his formal resignation takes effect, he will continue to receive his salary as an MP.”
