Labour MP ‘engaged in row over winter fuel payments’ outside pub before punching constituent
A suspended Labour MP and the constituent he punched to the ground were “engaged in a row over winter fuel payments”, it has emerged.
Mike Amesbury, MP for Runcorn and Helsby, landed a sucker punch on the man which sent him to the floor, before beating him six times, CCTV footage released last week revealed.
The individual has been identified as Paul Fellows, 42, a local from Cheshire, and the pair clashed whilst Fellows was waiting for a taxi in Frodsham in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The two men allegedly butted heads over cuts to the winter fuel allowance, as well as the closure of a local bridge, the Daily Mail has reported.
Amesbury, 55, who previously served as Shadow Housing Minister under Sir Keir Starmer, was locked in conversation with the man before suddenly knocking him to the ground with a left hook to the head.
During the heated exchange, the 55-year-old said: “You won’t ever threaten your MP ever again, will you?”
Fellows told the BBC that he suffered bumps on the back of his head and chin and had been “checked over” at hospital.
Cheshire Police yesterday confirmed it received a report of an alleged assault in the early hours of this morning.
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A spokesman for the force said: “At 2.48am on Saturday, October 26, police were called to reports of an assault in Frodsham. A caller reported he had been assaulted by a man in Main Street. Enquiries are ongoing.”
Posting on his own Facebook page on Saturday, the backbencher said: “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 cooperate with any inquiries if required by Cheshire Police.”
Amesbury has since had the whip removed and his Labour membership revoked, with Sir Keir Starmer calling the footage “shocking”.
Moments before Labour’s announcement, Reform UK, which came second in Amesbury’s seat in July, called on 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 & 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.”
A Labour Party spokesperson then 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.”