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Labour MP Mike Amesbury has been suspended by his party after a late-night altercation in which CCTV footage appeared to show him punching a man to the ground.
Sir Keir Starmer, prime minister, approved the suspension of the party whip from Amesbury on Sunday evening, after new video footage emerged of the incident on Friday.
In the video, obtained by the Daily Mail, the MP for Runcorn and Helsby appears to continue to hit the man as he is lying in the street. It is unclear what events led up to the altercation.
The incident is likely to become a distraction for Starmer, who will deliver a speech on Monday ahead of Wednesday’s Budget.
Labour said in a statement that Amesbury was assisting the police with their inquiries, adding: “As these inquiries are now ongoing, the Labour party has administratively suspended Mr Amesbury’s membership of the Labour party pending an investigation.”
Amesbury said on his Facebook page on Saturday: “Last night I was involved in an incident that took place after I felt threatened following an evening out with friends.
“This morning I contacted Cheshire police myself to report what happened. I will not be making any further public comment but will of course co-operate with any inquiries if required by Cheshire police.”
The latest CCTV footage came after another video was posted on X, which appeared to show Amesbury shouting at the man who was lying in the street in the Cheshire town of Frodsham.
“You won’t threaten the MP ever again, will you?” Amesbury is heard shouting at the man. The context of the incident is not clear.
Cheshire Police said: “At 02:48 BST on Saturday 26 October police were called to reports of an assault in Frodsham.
“A caller reported he had been assaulted by a man in Main Street. Inquiries are ongoing,” the force added.
Amesbury was first elected to parliament in 2017 and held his constituency with a majority of 14,696 at the general election in July. He was previously a shadow minister.
