This afternoon Mike Amesbury was sentenced to ten weeks in prison. The ex-Labour MP for Runcorn and Helsby was handed a custodial sentence at Chester Magistrates’ Court for assaulting a man in his constituency last October. Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram said the immediate custodial sentence was ‘necessary both as a punishment and a deterrent’.
The sentence means a recall petition will be triggered in Runcorn and Helsby, unless Amesbury chooses to appeal.A recall petition means voters in the MP’s seat have six weeks to sign requesting a by-election; if 10 per cent sign the by-election goes ahead, but if the threshold is not met, the MP can stay in place. Amesbury, who lost the Labour whip after footage of the incident went viral, is expected to release a statement soon. If he resigns, it would also trigger a by-election.
This seat is one which Keir Starmer’s party won comfortably at the last election: indeed it was the 16th safest Labour seat in the country.
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