Police have released an update on the video of deputy Mike Amesbury being punched

The Prime Minister also reacted to footage showing the MP for Runcorn punching a man several times.

14:30, October 28, 2024Updated 14:30, October 28, 2024

Mike Amesbury has been suspended from the Labor Party after footage emerged of him appearing to punch a man on a night out

Cheshire Police have issued an update on the situation surrounding Runcorn MP Mike Amesbury after videos emerged of him punching a man last weekend. Mr. Amesbury, who represents Runcorn and Helsby in Parliament, has been suspended by the Labor Party amid an ongoing investigation into the incident.

Cheshire Police confirmed that a 55-year-old man was voluntarily interviewed in connection with the incident after officers received reports of an assault in Frodsham at 2.48am on Saturday. He has been released pending further inquiries, police said.

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Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer today described the footage as “shocking” and defended Labour’s decision to suspend Mr Amesbury. The prime minister said the party reacted “very quickly” after the footage emerged. Mr. Amesbury was suspended by the party and lost the Labor whip on Sunday after MailOnline published a clip showing MPs for Runcorn and Helsby apparently continuing to beat the man, who is lying on the ground, while bystanders shout: “Stop it”.

Sir Keir dodged the question of whether Mr Amesbury should stand down as an MP, but said: “I have seen the video, it is shocking. We moved very quickly to suspend him as a member and Member of Parliament. A police investigation is ongoing and in the circumstances, as you understand, I cannot say anything more about it.”

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Earlier, one of Sir Keir’s most senior ministers said the footage was “very graphic”. Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden told Sky News: “He has been suspended Labor Party – which also means he is not a Labor MP at the moment while the police investigation is ongoing. I’ve seen the video, there’s a police investigation going on, I think it’s important that it goes through.”

Asked about the video, Mr McFadden added: “The video is very graphic, the police will look into it, I’m sure they will take it into account and they have to come to a conclusion.”

The party said on Sunday that the MP, who was part of Labour’s shadow ministerial team from 2018 to 2024 but failed to secure a front-line role after the election, had been suspended.

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A Labor Party spokesman said: “Mike Amesbury MP has been assisting Cheshire Police with their investigation following the incident on Friday night. As these investigations continue, the Labor Party has administratively suspended Mr Amesbury’s membership of the Labor Party pending the investigation.”

CCTV footage released on Sunday captured the two men standing against each other before the man, believed to be Mr Amesbury, punched the other and continued to beat him to the ground. It is not clear from the video what happened the day before.

This comes after various footage was posted on social media on Saturday showing the deputy shouting and pointing at a man lying in the street.

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The man is heard saying, “Will you never threaten me again? Will you never threaten me again? Mr Amesbury said on Saturday he would “cooperate with any enquiries” but was “determined to remain an open and accessible MP to our community” after the first footage went viral online.

In a statement, he said: “I was involved in an incident last night after I felt threatened in the street after a night out with friends. This morning I contacted Cheshire Police myself to report what happened during the incident. I will not be making any further public comment but will of course co-operate with any inquiries if required by Cheshire Police.”