Suspended Labour MP Mike Amesbury has admitted assaulting a man on the street in his Cheshire constituency.
Footage of Amesbury appearing to punch 45-year-old Paul Fellows in the jaw, sending him falling backwards into a parking space, emerged last October.
The MP for Runcorn and Helsby was suspended from the Labour Party soon after media reports on the incident appeared.
He currently sits in Parliament as an independent.
The 55-year-old, who was first elected in 2017, pleaded guilty to assault in an appearance at Chester Magistrates’ Court this morning.
He is due to be sentenced at the same court on February 24.
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Following the plea, Amesbury posted a statement on X saying: ‘Today, I pleaded guilty in connection with a deeply regrettable incident that occurred last October.
‘I made a serious mistake and offer my sincere apologies to Mr Fellows as well as his family.’
Prosecutor Alison Storey told the court Mr Fellows, who had been drinking, was walking alone to a taxi rank in Frodsham town centre at around 2am on October 26.
She said: ‘Mr Amesbury arrived at the same taxi rank. He too was alone and he too had been drinking.’
Mr Fellows recognised Amesbury and took the opportunity to complain about a bridge closure in the town, the court heard.
CCTV shows the pair talking for several minutes without aggression or raised voices.
She told the court: ‘At one point Mr Fellows started to walk away but was re-engaged by Mr Amesbury.’
The MP could be heard saying ‘what’ a few times before shouting it.
Mr Fellows put his hands in his pockets and turned back towards the taxi rank, Ms Storey said, but was knocked to the ground by a punch from Amesbury when he turned around again.
Amesbury then followed him onto the road and punched him a further five times while asking: ‘You won’t threaten your f*cking MP again, will you?’
The altercation left Mr Fellows with a lump to his head and a graze to his elbow.
Richard Derby, defending, called the assault a ‘momentary incident’ and said Amesbury thought there was ‘another motive’ to the conversation.
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He added: ‘Whatever sanction this court will impose upon him, it’s not going to have the effect as what has already happened to him.
‘The embarrassment he has suffered, the shame he has suffered, removing the whip from him, a person who has dedicated his life to the public.’
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.’
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