Jailed Cheshire MP faces calls to quit Commons

Disgraced Cheshire MP Mike Amesbury has been urged to quit the House of Commons after being jailed for 10 weeks for repeatedly punching a man in the street.

The Runcorn and Helsby MP, who has been sitting as an Independent since he was suspended by Labour bosses following October’s fracas, admitted assault and was sentenced on Monday.

A Labour spokesperson said: “Local residents deserved better and we look forward to them getting the representation they deserve in the future with a new Labour MP.”

Conservative co-chairman Nigel Huddleston called on Amesbury to “do the right thing and resign”, adding that constituents “deserve an MP who is able to stand up for them in Parliament”.

Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf also called on the 55-year-old MP to quit immediately, adding: “The great people of Runcorn deserve far better than waiting six weeks for a recall petition to take place.”

At an earlier court hearing, Amesbury pleaded guilty to assaulting 45-year-old Paul Fellows.

Video footage widely shared on social media showed a confrontation in the Cheshire town of Frodsham in the early hours of 26 October.

Sitting at Chester Magistrates’ Court, Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram said a pre-sentence report showed Amesbury’s actions were the result of “anger and loss of emotional control”.

Under Parliamentary rules, a Westminster by-election can be forced if 10% of registered voters in a jailed MP’s constituency sign a petition calling for one.

The recall process can only be triggered once all avenues of appeal against a custodial sentence have been exhausted.

As a result he will still be drawing an MP’s salary even for the four weeks he is expected to serve in jail. An announcement about an appeal against his sentence is expected later this week.

Amesbury won the newly formed seat of Runcorn and Helsby in July’s general election, with a majority of more than 14,000 over Reform UK.

He was first elected as MP for Weaver Vale in 2017 and represented the Cheshire constituency before it ceased to exist following last year’s boundary changes.

The Labour spokesperson said: “The Labour Party took swift action following Mike Amesbury’s completely unacceptable actions and he is no longer a Labour MP or a member of the Labour Party.

“It is right that Mr Amesbury pleaded guilty and has now been sentenced.”