Suspended Labour Mike Amesbury has been sentenced to 10 weeks in prison after pleading guilty to punching a man following a 3am street row.
The Runcorn and Helsby MP, who has been sitting as an independent since he was suspended following his arrest last year, appeared at Chester Magistrates' Court on Monday. He was kicked out of the Labour Party last month when he pleaded guilty to assault by beating after punching 45-year-old Paul Fellows in Cheshire in October.
The court heard Amesbury, 55, had been drinking before he arrived at a taxi rank, where Mr Fellows approached him to remonstrate about a bridge closure in the town.
Footage showed Amesbury punching Mr Fellows to the head, knocking him to the ground, then following him on to the road and starting to punch him again, at least five times. He was then heard saying "You won't threaten your MP again will you?"
Be the first with news from Mirror Politics
BLUESKY: Follow our Mirror Politics account on Bluesky here. And follow our Mirror Politics team here - Lizzy Buchan, Mikey Smith, Kevin Maguire, Sophie Huskisson, Dave Burke and Ashley Cowburn.
POLITICS WHATSAPP: Be first to get the biggest bombshells and breaking news by joining our Politics WhatsApp group here. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you want to leave our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
NEWSLETTER: Or sign up here to the Mirror's Politics newsletter for all the best exclusives and opinions straight to your inbox.
PODCAST: And listen to our exciting new political podcast The Division Bell, hosted by the Mirror and the Express every Thursday.
Sentencing Amesbury, deputy senior district judge Tan Ikram said: "In this case an immediate custodial sentence is, in my judgment, necessary as a punishment and a deterrent." Mr Amesbury was taken down by two dock officers.
Unlike many defendants, the MP, who will now be taken to HMP Altcourse in Liverpool, did not appear to have a brought a bag of belongings with him.
The decision to jail Amesbury also means he now faces the possibility of losing his Commons seat. Rules state that a recall petition can be triggered if an MP is imprisoned and after all appeals have been exhausted. If 10% of registered voters sign the petition in his Runcorn and Helsby, it would trigger a by-election.
Labour won the seat at last summer's General Election with a huge 52% of the vote share - with Reform UK's candidate in a distant second place with 18% while the Tories secured 16%. But a by-election could be tricky due to Labour's recent slump in the national polls after a series of unpopular decisions.
Speaking after the MP's last court hearing, a Labour Party spokesman said: "It is right that Mike Amesbury has taken responsibility for his unacceptable actions. He was rightly suspended by the Labour Party following the announcement of the police investigation. We cannot comment further whilst legal proceedings are still ongoing."