British lawmaker suspended after video shows him allegedly punching man in the street
By Rob Picheta, CNN
(CNN) — A British lawmaker has been suspended by the governing Labour Party after footage appeared to show him punching a man repeatedly on the street.
Police are investigating the alleged attack by Mike Amesbury on Friday night, which first came to light after social media footage showed a brawl in the street following the alleged attack.
Subsequent surveillance footage, obtained by the Daily Mail newspaper and published Sunday, appears to show Amesbury talking to a man before punching him in the face and then attempting to strike him again repeatedly on the ground.
Labour said Amesbury is assisting police with their inquiries, and that they have suspended the backbencher “pending an investigation.”
“I have seen the video footage, it’s shocking,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters on Monday. “We moved very swiftly to suspend him as a member and as a member of parliament.”
Amesbury has been an member of parliament (MP) since 2017 in Cheshire, northwest England, where the alleged incident took place. He remains an independent member of the House of Commons after losing the party whip.
The lawmaker said in a statement, released before the additional footage was published by the Mail, that he was “involved in an incident that took place after I felt threatened on the street following an evening out with friends.”
He said he had “contacted Cheshire Police myself to report what happened during the incident.”
Cheshire police said in a statement: “A 55-year-old man has been voluntarily interviewed under caution by police in relation to this incident. He has since been released pending further enquiries.”
Labour swept to power in a July general election after 14 years in opposition, winning 411 seats for a commanding majority. Nine of those MPs have since had the whip removed or resigned from the party.
The populist Reform UK party have called for Amesbury to resign and allow a by-election in his seat to take place, which would be the first electoral test of the new government if it were to take place.
MPs are entitled to remain in the Commons after losing the whip. A recall petition in their constituency, which could trigger a by-election, could take place if they were to receive a prison sentence.
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