AN MP who punched a man to the ground during a row in the street has been sentenced to 10 weeks behind bars.

Bail while he appeals was denied to Mike Amesbury MP, who has sat as an independent for Runcorn & Helsby since Labour suspended him after his arrest.

He pleaded guilty last month to assaulting Paul Fellows, 45, in Frodsham, Cheshire, in the early hours of October 26.

Sentencing him to 10 weeks’ imprisonment, deputy senior district judge Tan Ikram said: “In this case an immediate custodial sentence is, in my judgement, necessary, as a punishment and a deterrent.”

Chester Magistrates’ Court heard that Mr Amesbury, 55, had been drinking before he arrived at a taxi rank, where Mr Fellows approached him to remonstrate about a bridge closure in the town.

Mr Amesbury was suspended from the Labour Party after footage emerged of him punching Mr Fellows in the head, knocking him to the ground, then following him on to the road and starting to punch him again, at least five times.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “It is right that Mr Amesbury pleaded guilty and has now been sentenced.

“Local residents in the Runcorn and Helsby constituency deserved better and we look forward to them getting the representation they deserve in the future with a new Labour MP.”

The Reform UK party chairman Zia Yusuf called for Mr Amesbury to stand down so a by-election could be held.

He said: “The great people of Runcorn deserve far better than waiting six weeks for a recall petition to take place.”

Mr Amesbury’s sentence leaves him liable to the recall process, which would trigger a by-election if 10 per cent of registered voters in his seat sign a petition calling for it.

But Stand Up to Racism co-convener Weyman Bennett said: “After the high vote for the fascist AfD in Germany it is vital to stop Reform UK from benefiting from any scapegoating of refugees and migrants.

“If there is a by-election there should be no concessions to racism.”

In the general election last July, Mr Amesbury won the seat with 52.9 per cent of the votes.

Reform’s Jason Moorcroft came in a distant second place with 18.1 per cent. But recent national polls have put the party ahead of Labour.

The political consultancy Electoral Calculus was today predicting a narrow Labour hold if there were a by-election today.