Suspended Labour MP Mike Amesbury faces a possible jail sentence which could see him ousted from Parliament in a first by-election since Sir Keir Starmer became Prime Minister.
A judge warned the MP for Runcorn and Helsby, currently sitting as an independent, that he was considering a prison sentence among the range of options after Amesbury pleaded guilty to assault.
A jail term could lead to a by-election in the North West constituency where Nigel Farage’s Reform UK came second at the General Election last July, with 7,662 behind Labour’s 22,358.
At Chester Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, Amesbury pleaded guilty to assaulting 45-year-old Paul Fellows in Main Street in Frodsham, Cheshire, in the early hours of October 26 following a dispute about a bridge closure.
The court heard how he told Mr Fellows “you won’t threaten your MP again” after punching him in the head with enough force to knock him to the ground close to a taxi rank at about 2am.
CCTV of the attack was shown to the court, with the prosecution saying the Runcorn and Helsby MP punched Mr Fellows at least five times while he was on the ground.
Amesbury was suspended from the Labour Party after footage emerged which showed him punching a man.
District Judge Tanveer Ikram said: “This case is within the high culpability category. I accept that the injury was not serious, the sentencing guideline suggests a sentence starting point of a high level community order or a range up to a prison sentence.
“I have already made mention of the fact whilst there was a single punch to the face, the victim ended up on the floor and he was further attacked again on the floor. That seems to me an additional aggravating factor.”
He told Amesbury: “I am leaving all options upon at this stage.”
If Amesbury is sent to prison or given a suspended sentence he could face the prospect of losing his seat in the Commons.
A sentence of less than a year, even if it is suspended, would leave him liable to the recall process, which would trigger a by-election if 10% of registered voters in his seat sign a petition calling for it.
A jail term of more than a year would mean Amesbury automatically losing his seat.
Asked if he had any comment following the hearing on Thursday, Amesbury said: “I respect the judicial process.
“It’s highly regrettable, the incident in October.
“I’m sincerely sorry to Mr Fellows and his family.”
A Labour Party spokesman said: “It is right that Mike Amesbury has taken responsibility for his unacceptable actions.
“He was rightly suspended by the Labour Party following the announcement of the police investigation. We cannot comment further whilst legal proceedings are still ongoing.”