Mike Amesbury

Michael Lee Amesbury (born 7 May 1969) is a British politician serving as an independent Member of Parliament (MP) for Runcorn and Helsby (previously Weaver Vale, since 2017.

A member of the Labour Party, he was suspended in October 2024 after a video emerged of him punching a man, and in January 2025 he pleaded guilty to common assault.

Born in Manchester and raised in West Yorkshire, Amesbury began working as a careers adviser and later became a Labour Party officer.

He held several shadow ministerial portfolios in Parliament between 2018 and 2024, including Employment, Housing, and Local Government.

Amesbury was first elected to Manchester City Council in 2006, defeating the incumbent Liberal Democrat councillor in Fallowfield.

At the 2019 general election, he was re-elected to represent Weaver Vale with a reduced majority of 562 votes over the Conservative candidate.

[12] Amesbury became Shadow Local Government Minister in November 2021, but resigned in June 2022 to focus on his constituency work.

[13] He served on the Transport Committee from 2022 until 2023, when he rejoined the front bench as Shadow Building Safety and Homelessness Minister in September.

[14] In July 2023, a 56-year-old man was convicted of stalking and harassing Amesbury; the offences took place from June to August 2022, and his sentence included a restraining order.

[22][21] Witnesses later said that the man had initially engaged Amesbury in a conversation about a local bridge which would be closed during winter, before the men's interactions became "heated".