Britain’s ruling Labour party has suspended one of its MPs after footage emerged appearing to show him punching a man to the ground and then continuing to attack him. The party said late on Sunday that the lawmaker, Mike Amesbury, had been suspended “pending an investigation” after the Mail Online published a video of the violent incident.
The appeared to show the 55-year-old MP, who represents a parliamentary seat in northwest England, repeatedly hitting another man as others nearby shout: “Stop it.”
Media and commentators immediately asked whether Amesbury would be treated the way he demanded ‘thugs and criminals’ be treated.
Turning Point UK tweeted, “Will Amesbury be jailed for two years like the Enough is Enough protestors or will Two-Tier Keir let him off?”
Robert Jendrick, running to be the next Tory leader, quipped, “Labour’s promised to ‘smash the gangs’. Looks like they’re now smashing their constituents instead.”
A spokesman for the Labour Party, which took power in Britain in July, said: “Mike Amesbury MP has been assisting Cheshire Police with their inquiries” following the incident. “As these inquiries are now ongoing, the Labour Party has administratively suspended Mr Amesbury’s membership of the Labour Party pending an investigation.”
Amesbury has said in his own statement that he will “co-operate with any inquiries” but was “determined to remain an open and accessible MP for our community.”
