Amesbury said he was continuing to cooperate with police following the ‘deeply regrettable’ incident.
Suspended Labour MP Mike Amesbury has been charged with assault after a video emerged appearing to show him punching a man to the ground in the street last month.
Cheshire Constabulary said on Thursday the charges relate to reports of an alleged assault on a 45-year-old man on Main Street in Frodsham, Cheshire, which was reported to police at 2:48 a.m. on Oct. 26.
The force said Amesbury has been summonsed to court to face the charge of section 39 assault under the Criminal Justice Act 1988.
‘Deeply Regrettable’
Addressing the charges, Amesbury issued a statement on social media platform X, saying he was continuing to cooperate with police following the “deeply regrettable” incident.
He said: “I have today been summonsed to court to face a charge of common assault following an incident in Frodsham last month, which was deeply regrettable.
“I am continuing to co-operate with police and given this is an ongoing case I cannot comment further.”
Criminal Proceedings
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said in a statement on Thursday that following a review of evidence provided by Cheshire Constabulary, prosecutors would charge Amesbury with common assault.
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Rosemary Ainslie, head of the CPS’s Special Crime Division, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against the defendant are active and that he has the right to a fair trial.
“It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”
Suspended From Labour
Amesbury has served as an MP since 2017, initially representing Weaver Vale. Following the 2024 general election and a change in constituency boundaries, he now represents Runcorn and Helsby.
He represented Labour for seven years. However, following the alleged incident, Amesbury lost the Labour whip and was suspended on Oct. 27.
A Labour spokesperson said at the time, “The Labour Party has administratively suspended Mr Amesbury’s membership of the Labour Party pending an investigation.”
Amesbury now sits as an independent MP.
PA Media contributed to this report.
