Ex-Labour MP Mike Amesbury jailed for assault - but will still get £91,000 salary in prison

MP Mike Amesbury, who has been jailed for 10 weeks after punching a man in the street, will still get his £91,000 salary in prison.

The Runcorn and Helsby MP pleaded guilty in January to assault by beating of 45-year-old Paul Fellows in Main Street, Frodsham, Cheshire, in the early hours of 26 October.

Politics latest: 'Alarm bells ringing' for Labour

As well as a 10-week jail sentence, Amesbury, 55, must pay £200 compensation to Mr Fellows. He will also not be allowed back into the Labour Party, which suspended him shortly after the incident.

Parliament has since confirmed that, under the Parliamentary Standards Act, MPs continue to receive their salary until they cease to be MPs.

There is currently no mechanism to stop pay for MPs, unless they are suspended from the House of Commons, which has not yet happened in Amesbury's case.

Amesbury had been drinking in the town in his constituency where he lives before arriving at a taxi rank, where Mr Fellows approached him to complain about the closure of the Sutton Weaver swing bridge.

The court heard how, after punching Mr Fellows in the head and knocking him to the ground, Amesbury punched him a further five times on the ground before members of the public intervened.

As he was being held back, he told Mr Fellows: "You won't threaten your MP again, will you?"

The victim suffered a lump on his head and a graze on his elbow in what the Crown Prosecution Service said was a "persistent assault".

Labour and Reform call for by-election

Amesbury's future as an MP remains under question as his lawyer indicated he will appeal the sentence.

Otherwise, MPs who receive a custodial sentence, even if it is suspended, automatically trigger a recall petition which could result in a by-election if 10% of constituents sign it.

This will have to wait until the appeal period is over.

Amesbury has been sitting as an independent MP in the Commons ever since he was suspended by Labour in October.

They have said he will not be admitted back in and called for a by-election, saying his constituents "deserved better" after his "completely unacceptable actions".

Reform UK also called for Amesbury "to do the honourable thing and resign immediately".

'Alarm bells will be ringing' for PM

Sky News chief political correspondent Jon Craig said while Labour won the seat at last year's election with a "fairly healthy majority" of more than 14,000, there will be "real nervousness" within the party about holding it.

Reform came second in Runcorn and Helsby at the general election and - given their lead in the national polls - Craig said "alarm bells will be ringing" for Sir Keir Starmer.

Tap here to read Jon Craig's full analysis.

'A necessary punishment'

Sentencing Amesbury, deputy senior district judge Tan Ikram said an immediate custodial sentence was "necessary as a punishment and a deterrent".

The judge added Amesbury, who has been an MP since 2017, would serve 40% of his sentence in custody and will remain on licence for 12 months after his release.

Amesbury's lawyer requested the judge return to the court moments after he was taken to the cells by two security guards, as he wanted to make a bail application while they appeal his sentence.

The judge returned to court, sat down, paused briefly and said: "Application refused."

Read more:
Trump makes Starmer's life harder
Net zero push provides bump in salaries

Amesbury will be taken to HMP Altcourse in Liverpool. Unlike many defendants, he did not appear to have a bag of belongings with him.

After pleading guilty, he described the incident as "highly regrettable" and apologised to Mr Fellows and his family outside the court.

Alison Storey, senior specialist prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service's special crime division, said Amesbury's victim did not react aggressively and was alone at the time of the assault.

(c) Sky News 2025: Ex-Labour MP Mike Amesbury jailed for assault - but will still get £91,000 salary in prison