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A British politician has been suspended from the ruling Labour Party after CCTV footage appeared to show him punch a man to the ground over the weekend.

BBC News

The footage, first obtained by the Daily Mail, appeared to show Mike Amesbury — the MP for Runcorn and Helsby in Cheshire — strike a man to the head before swinging six more times while the man lay on the street. It took place in the town of Frodsham in the early hours of Saturday.

Daily Mail

Prior to the emergence of the video, Amesbury released a statement later on Saturday stating: "Last night I was involved in an incident that took place after I felt threatened on the street following an evening with friends." He added that he reported himself to the police and that he was cooperating with enquiries.

However, that statement came after other footage had been circulating on social media following the incidentt in which Amesbury could be seen pointing to the man as he lay on the ground, stating: "You won't threaten the MP ever again, will you?"

Prior to the video's release, the Labour Party had stated that it was aware of the incident, whilst Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson had also called the incident "a matter for the police" when speaking on Sky News.

Sky News

It means Amesbury will now sit in parliament as an independent MP. However, opposition parties have called for him to step down completely.

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A British politician was suspended from the ruling Labour Party after CCTV footage appeared to show him punch a man to the ground over the weekend.

BBC News #

Daily Mail #

However, that statement came after other footage had been circulating on social media. That video did not show the blows but captured the aftermath of the incident in which Amesbury could be seen pointing to the man as he lay on the ground, stating: "You won't threaten the MP ever again, will you?"

Initially, the Labour Party said it was a matter for the police, but it later took the step of suspending him, pending an ongoing police investigation, after the emergence of the second video.

Labour has taken the step of suspending Amesbury pending a police investigation. However, it would be inappropriate to comment further or take additional action until that investigation is complete.

This is completely unacceptable behavior for a politician. He is not fit to be an MP and should, without question, resign his position immediately.

There is a 89.9% chance Keir Starmer will still to be the leader of the UK Labour Party by January 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

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Keir Starmer Labour leadership exit date

Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/Contributor via Getty Images

UK: Labour MP Suspended After Attack Captured on CCTV

Shocking CCTV footage has exposed completely unacceptable behavior from a politician who initially attempted to twist the incident as one of self-defense. Amesbury is not fit to be an MP and should, without question, resign from his position immediately.

Calls for Mike Amesbury MP to resign after video appears to show him punching man in the face

Personal accounts present Amesbury as a kind-hearted man who reacted badly following consistent threatening and abusive behavior by a member of the public. Whilst Amesbury's behavior was wrong, a long history of deadly attacks against MPs must be acknowledged when attempting to understand why an MP would act in this way.

UK: Labour MP Suspended After Attack Captured on CCTV

UK: Labour MP Suspended After Attack Captured on CCTV

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UK: Labour MP Suspended After Attack Captured on CCTV

UK: Labour MP Suspended After Attack Captured on CCTV

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