A constituent was allegedly punched to the ground by Labour MP Mike Amesbury after a row about cuts to winter fuel allowance and the closure of a local bridge
The Runcorn and Helsbury MP was suspended by the Labour Party after footage obtained by MailOnline appeared to show him punching a man to the ground in an early morning altercation in Frodsham on Saturday.
The constituent was identified as Cheshire local Paul Fellows, 42, with reports suggesting a “heated” discussion about a local bridge closure and winter fuel allowance cuts took place before the incident.
Mr Amesbury has said he felt “threatened” and that he would “co-operate with any inquiries”, including any police inquiries.
A witness told The Times newspaper that there had been a “heated” discussion, but claimed there had been no physical provocation.
“He is trying to get out of it now,” the witness alleged.
“My sister tried to intervene and pull him off. You have seen the video of how drunk he was. She was waiting for a taxi and so was the man.”
The footage was dubbed “shocking” by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer earlier on Monday as he defended the party’s decision to suspend him.
The Prime Minister said the party had “moved very swiftly” to respond after the footage emerged.
The footage captured two men standing facing each other before the man purported to be Mr Amesbury punched the other and continued hitting him on the ground as others shouted, “stop it!”
It is not clear from the video what happened in the moments beforehand.
Separate footage posted on social media on Saturday appeared to show the MP shouting and pointing his finger at a man lying in the street.
“You won’t ever threaten me again, will you? You won’t ever threaten me again will you?” he appeared to say.
Sidestepping a question on whether Mr Amesbury should resign as an MP, Sir Keir earlier said: “I have seen the video footage, it’s shocking.
“We moved very swiftly to suspend him as a member and as a Member of Parliament.
“There is now a police investigation and in the circumstances you will appreciate there’s not much more I can say about that.”
Cheshire Police confirmed a 55-year-old man had been voluntarily interviewed under caution in relation to the incident after officers were called to reports of an assault in Frodsham at 2.48am on Saturday.
“He has since been released pending further inquiries,” the force said.
Mr Amesbury said on Saturday that he will “co-operate with any inquiries”, but was “determined to remain an open and accessible MP for our community” after the initial footage circulated online.
He said in a statement: “Last night, I was involved in an incident that took place after I felt threatened on the street following an evening out with friends.
“This morning, I contacted Cheshire Police myself to report what happened during the incident.
“I will not be making further public comment but will, of course, co-operate with any inquiries if required by Cheshire Police.”
A Labour spokesperson 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.”
Mr Amesbury was part of Labour’s shadow ministerial team from 2018 to 2024 but failed to secure a frontbench role after the election.
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