UK: Labour MP Suspended After Attack Captured on CCTV

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Above: Mike Amesbury, formerly a Labour MP, speaks during a rally in 2021. Image copyright: Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/Contributor via Getty Images

The Facts

  • 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.

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

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The Spin

Narrative A

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

LBC

Narrative B

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

Westminster Security

Metaculus Prediction