Who Cares About Mike Amesbury?
- Ishaa Asim
- Feb 27
- 2 min read
Mike Amesbury, Labour MP, was sentenced to ten weeks in custody for punching a constituent several times. Why does it matter?
Amesbury was caught on video hitting Paul Fellows several times, only stopping when people intervened. He had been drinking and Fellows had approached him regarding issues with the local area. Amesbury was not in the mood and attacked Fellows. The case is interesting because Amesbury was charged with common assault and was not expecting to receive a custodial sentence, with everyone in the courtroom reportedly shocked.
His case is to make an example - Amesbury after attacking Fellows said something along the words of 'You won't threaten your MP again'. Using his position as well as being intoxicated led to the judge considering the custodial sentence handed down (ten weeks in custody with a requirement to serve four weeks).
But why does it matter what Amesbury did? If we have learnt anything from the last ten years, it's that politicians will act above the law. We saw it with lockdown and how Boris Johnson's government partied whilst people said goodbye to loved ones on Zoom calls. We are seeing it with the re-election of Trump and his convictions for serious offences. Mike Amesbury has been added to a long list of politicians and public figures who have flaunted rules because they do not apply to them.
I think Amesbury's sentence is intriguing - it could have easily been a community order but the judge in his case wanted to make an example of him, to send a message to public figures that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated. Amesbury's lawyer immediately asked for the judge to return so that he could make a bail application. The judge sat back down, paused briefly, and stated "Application rejected".
You may think it's irrelevant, who cares, it's only one MP and Labour removed him from the Party. But it's a pushback - it's demonstrating that the laws that apply to the average person are also the same laws governing people in power. It's a message to the public that everyone is and should be accountable, regardless of status.
Public figures and politicians need to recognise the power they have and the effect this has on society. It was not right for Amesbury to get away with behaviour just because he is an MP. The judge's decision is one to showcase that standards are to be applied uniformly, and must be upheld.
UPDATE: THURSDAY 27TH FEBRUARY The news has reported that Mike Amesbury’s sentence was suspended for two years following an appeal from his lawyer. This changes matters as he is no longer serving a custodial sentence but a non-custodial one. It will be interesting to see how this impacts his issue of pay and position as MP.
* Image obtained from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/feb/24/suspended-labour-mp-mike-amesbury-sentenced-assault all rights reserved 
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