Starmer faces his first by-election. Will Labour win?

Former Labour MP Mike Amesbury said he will stand down from parliament after being convicted of assault for repeatedly punching a constituent.

Debating the outcome of the ensuing by-election is Iain Dale's Cross Question panel, from left to right:

Columnist Andrew Fisher, businesswoman Kiki McDonough, Conservative MP Rebecca Smith and Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth.

Amesbury, who has been sitting as an independent since he was suspended by Labour following his arrest, was caught on camera punching a constituent near a taxi rank in the village of Frodsham last October.

He pleaded guilty at a hearing in January to assaulting 45-year-old Paul Fellows, and was given a 10-week suspended prison sentence.

His ressignation will trigger the first by-election of Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour Government.

He has now said he will begin the 'statutory process' of closing his office before resigning as an MP 'as soon as possible'.

In his first interview since he was sentenced, Amesbury said he 'regrets' attacking Mr Fellows 'every moment, every day'.

But the disgraced MP told the BBC he would have tried to keep his job - which he said was his "calling" - if he had received a lighter community sentence.

The court heard Amesbury had been drinking before he arrived at the rank, where Mr Fellows approached him to remonstrate about a bridge closure in the town.

Footage showed Amesbury punch Mr Fellows to the head, knocking him to the ground, then follow him onto the road and start to punch him again, at least five times.

The 55-year-old has been sitting as the independent for Runcorn and Helsby since his arrest - where a by-election will now take place.

Amesbury told the BBC: "I'm going to step aside at the earliest opportunity.

"I've got processes I must go through - there's a statutory process in terms of redundancies," he said.

Amesbury spent three nights in prison after he received his 10-week sentence.

Chester Crown Court later imposed another sentence of 10 weeks' imprisonment but suspended it for two years.

He was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, undertake a 12-month alcohol monitoring requirement, go on an anger management course and carry out 20 days of rehabilitation work.

When asked what he thought of people who feel his suspended sentence means he might have got off lightly, Amesbury said he had been "punished accordingly"

"I pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity in terms of the law," Amesbury said.

He told the broadcaster he is "going to lose the family home", his livelihood and walk away with a criminal record.

"If people think that's lightly, so be it."

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