A British lawmaker was suspended by the governing Labour Party on Monday, after video appeared to show him punching a man in the face, knocking him down, and then repeatedly hitting him as he was lying in the street.
The violent actions by the lawmaker, Mike Amesbury, can be seen in two videos — one taken on a phone and another on a CCTV camera — that emerged online over the weekend and were picked up by a number of British news outlets, including the BBC.
In one clip that shows the incident in Frodsham, a small town in northern England on Friday night, Mr. Amesbury can be heard yelling at the other man, “You won’t ever threaten the M.P. again.”
A spokesman for the Labour Party said in a statement to the BBC that Mr. Amesbury, 55, had been assisting the 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,” the party added.
Responding to a question from a reporter after a speech in Birmingham, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that he had seen the footage and described it as “shocking.”
“We moved very swiftly to suspend him as a member,” Mr. Starmer said. “There is now a police investigation, and in the circumstances, you will appreciate there’s not much more I can say about that.”
The Cheshire Constabulary, which oversees policing in the area, said in a statement that “A 55-year-old man has been voluntarily interviewed under caution by police in relation to this incident. He has since been released pending further enquiries.”
On Saturday, Mr. Amesbury issued a statement confirming that he was “involved in an incident that took place after I felt threatened on the street following an evening out with friends.”
He added that he had contacted the Cheshire police to report what had happened, and would continue to cooperate with the police, but said he would not be making further public comment. Mr. Amesbury said he planned to continue to serve in Parliament.
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