British lawmaker, Mike Amesbury has been suspended by the governing Labour Party following an incident that allegedly involved him punching a man multiple times on the street.
Gatekeepers News reports that the event occurred on Friday night and came to public attention after footage surfaced on social media depicting a brawl.
Surveillance footage, published by the Daily Mail, seems to show Amesbury engaging with a man before striking him and attempting further blows while the man was on the ground.
The Labour Party has stated that Amesbury is cooperating with the police as they conduct their investigation, and he has been suspended from his position pending the outcome of the inquiry.
“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 a 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.
