Convict MP Mike Amesbury has told the BBC that he intends to resign his Runcorn and Helsby seat 'as soon as possible'. Amesbury says he will stand down once his staff are laid off: "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, so it's not only me out of a job".
The MP appeared to be on the verge of tears as he spoke. He responded to a question surrounding criticism of his sentence: "I am going to lose the family home, my livelihood and walk away with a criminal record - if people think that's [getting off] lightly, so be it".
It is two weeks to the day that Amesbury was convicted of assault. In standing down, he avoids the recall process, which would have almost certainly resulted in his dismissal from Westminster anyway.
A by-election will be arranged once Amesbury officially tenders his resignation. Bookies have got Reform UK as odds on favourites to win the seat, albeit the odds are drifting as the Farage-Lowe feud continues to undermine the party.
Runcorn and Helsby 2024 General Election
Mike Amesbury (Lab) 22,358 (52.9%)
Jason Moorcroft (Ref) 7,662 (18.1%)
Jade Marsden (Con) 6,756 (16.0%)
Chris Copeman (Grn) 2,715 (6.4%)
Chris Rowe (LDm) 2,149 (5.1%)
Danny Clarke (Lib) 479 (1.1%)
Paul Murphy (SDP) 116 (0.3%)
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