By-election nightmare for Starmer as ex-Labour MP quits ultimately | Politics | News | EUROtoday

Former Labour MP Mike Amesbury has stated he’ll stand down from parliament on the “earliest opportunity”after being given a jail sentence for punching a constituent. This means Sir Keir Starmer faces his first by-election take a look at in Runcorn and Helsby after the previous Labour stated he’ll resign following a conviction for assault.

Amesbury acquired a 10-week jail sentence final month for punching a constituent however had the sentence suspended following an attraction. His resignation will set off the primary by-election of Sir Keir’s Labour authorities. In his first interview because the sentencing, Amesbury stated he “regrets” attacking Paul Fellows “every moment, every day”.

But Amesbury informed the BBC he would have tried to stay an MP, a job he stated was his “calling”, if he had been given a lighter group sentence.

Asked about his future, Amesbury stated: “I’m going to step aside at the earliest opportunity.

“I’ve received processes I need to undergo – there is a statutory course of by way of redundancies.”

He described the fallout from his court case as “tough” but said he “owns” his mistake.

Under parliamentary rules, if an MP receives a custodial sentence, a “recall petition” is triggered.

If at least 10% of his constituents had voted to remove Amesbury, a by-election would have been called – potentially ousting him as MP.

Nigel Farage’s Reform UK hopes to win the by-election when it takes place.

Labour’s Amesbury had received 52.9% of the vote in July, followed by Reform UK’s Jason Moorcroft who received 18%

Amesbury defended continuing to take his MP wages – despite not appearing in a House of Commons debates since video of him punching Mr Fellows first surfaced in October 2024.

He said he carried out casework for his constituents, even while behind bars.

“I truly picked up some casework in jail,” Amesbury said, as his office manager forwarded on “correspondence”.

“Life would not cease as an MP,” he added.

Amesbury spent three nights in jail following his 10-week sentence being handed down at Chester Magistrates’ Court on 24 February.

Chester Crown Court later suspended his sentence, allowing him to serve his time in the community instead of behind bars.

As part of his suspended sentence, Amesbury must carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, undertake an alcohol monitoring programme, go on an anger management course and carry out 20 days of rehabilitation work.

Asked how he responded to people who might think he had been treated lightly in having his sentence suspended, Amesbury said he had been “punished accordingly”.

He added: “I pleaded responsible on the earliest alternative by way of the legislation.

Amesbury informed how he’s “going to lose the family home”, his livelihood and stroll away with a prison file.

“If people think that’s lightly, so be it,” he added.

Amesbury stated he had acquired loss of life threats and the affect of a stalker had raised his “anxiety levels”.

He stated threats and abuse “make you on edge”.

Amesbury stated: “So, when someone approached me at ten past two in the morning it was quite natural to be on edge and anxious – and I got it wrong.”

He said he should have walked away, adding: “I simply noticed pink – a second of insanity which I’ll remorse for the remainder of my life.”

Amesbury added he want to apologise to Mr Fellows in particular person however held again because the authorized course of unfolded.