Labor MP Mike Amesbury announces stepping down after being sentenced.
Former Labor MP Mike Amesbury has announced he will step down after being sentenced to prison for repeatedly punching a constituent. The Runcorn and Helsby MP has said he will start the “statutory process” of closing his office before quitting as an MP “as soon as possible.” His resignation will spark the first by-election of Sir Keir Starmer’s Labor government.
Amesbury was sentenced to 10 weeks behind bars, suspended for two years, after being found guilty of assaulting Paul Fellows. Amesbury, who spoke to the media for the first time since the sentencing, said he “regrets ” attacking Mr. Fellows ” every moment, every day”.
However, Amesbury told the BBC that he would have sought to stay an MP – a position he said had been his “calling” - had he received a less severe community punishment. Under the rules governing Parliament, a “recall petition” is triggered if an MP is sentenced to custody. Had at least 10% of his constituents voted to oust Amesbury, a by-election might have been called, and he might have been booted out as MP.
Mike Amesbury photo
When asked about his future, Amesbury said, “I’m going to step aside as soon as possible. “I’ve got processes I need to go through—there’s a statutory process about redundancies,” he said.
Mike Amesbury described the aftermath of his court case as “challenging,” acknowledging that he takes full responsibility for his mistake.
Mike Amesbury justified his decision to continue receiving his MP wages despite his absence from House of Commons debates since the emergence of a video showing him punching Mr. Fellows in October 2024. Amesbury, though convicted and jailed for the assault, remains eligible to retain his parliamentary position under existing rules.
Mike Amesbury served three nights in jail after receiving a 10-week sentence at Chester Magistrates’ Court on February 24th. This followed admission of assault for punching a man, an incident that led to his imprisonment despite subsequent appeals to suspend the sentence.
Mike Amesbury served three nights in jail after receiving a 10-week sentence at Chester Magistrates’ Court on February 24th. This followed admission of assault for punching a man, an incident that led to his imprisonment despite subsequent appeals to suspend the sentence.
In court, video footage depicted Amesbury striking Mr. Fellows in the head, causing him to fall to the ground.
The politician struck the man multiple times and used strong language towards him. Amesbury was then heard saying, “You won’t threaten your MP again, will you?” In court, it was stated that Amesbury explained to the police he had been approached aggressively, feeling threatened as the man yelled and gestured aggressively. Feeling fearful and with the man’s arms swinging, he felt compelled to defend himself.
Amesbury maintains he felt threatened despite the judge’s dismissal of his comments as falsehoods. Leading up to the incident, he faced death with a stalker, heightening his anxiety. Amesbury said that the murders of MPs Jo Cox and Sir David Amess contributed to his fear. Feeling on edge and anxious due to threats and abuse, he acknowledged that his reaction, confronting someone at 2:10 AM, was driven by fear and regretted his subsequent actions. Amesbury admitted his mistake and expressed a desire to apologise to Mr. Fellows in person once the legal process concludes.
