Political heavyweights are used to going toe-to-toe from the despatch box during fiery debates in the House of Commons.
From blistering broadsides by opposition leaders to withering counters by heads of government, the political war of words in Parliament’s hallowed halls can often be fierce.
But outside the Commons, some MPs have resorted to letting their fists do the talking – from thumping protesters in the street, to headbutting fellow politicians during a boozy bar brawls.
The latest MP now accused of letting their tempers boil over is Labour’s Mike Amesbury, who is being quizzed by police after being caught on camera sucker-punching a constituent during a late night fight.
He follows in the footsteps of former deputy prime minister John Prescott, who famously punched a man in the face after being egged, and disgraced ex-Labour shadow minister Eric Joyce, who sparked a bar brawl in the Commons.
In shocking CCTV obtained by the Mail, Mr Amesbury is shown sending the man to the floor with one punch before raining five further blows onto him in a seemingly physical unprovoked attack.
Labour MP Mike Amesbury is now being quizzed by police after being caught on camera sucker-punching a constituent during a late night fight
Footage showed Amesbury seemingly hitting the man, who is filmed falling to the floor
He follows in the footsteps of former deputy prime minister John Prescott (pictured left) who punched a protester in the face after he had an egg thrown at him while campaigning in 2001
Amesbury, 55, had claimed he was ‘threatened’ before the attack at 2.15am on Saturday in his Cheshire constituency.
He has since been suspended by the party over the altercation, which led to him being ‘voluntarily interviewed under caution by police’, amid calls for the MP to step down or be barred from parliament.
Tory leadership contender Robert Jenrick told the Mail: ‘Labour said they’d smash the gangs – instead it looks like they’re smashing their constituents instead.
‘There is no way you can remain an MP if you’re beating up constituents after a night out.’
Amesbury is not the first Labour MP to find themselves in hot water over alleged violent clashes while serving in public office.
In 2001, former deputy prime minister John Prescott took matters into his hands – literally – after being egged by a protester during an election campaign rally in north Wales.
After being hit in the neck with the egg, the ex-amateur boxer responded with a straight left jab to the jaw – famously earning him the moniker ‘Two Jabs’.
The political heavyweight later conceded that he would go down in history as the man who ‘thumped the bloke in the street’ rather than his service to politics.
The mayhem took place outside the Little Theatre, in the North Wales seaside resort of Rhyl, and saw Prescott wrestling with some protesters
Furious former amateur boxer Prescott was pelted with an egg on his neck and back
The political heavyweight later conceded that he would go down in history as the man who ‘thumped the bloke in the street’ rather than his service to politics (he is pictured in 2001)
Speaking to the Radio Times in 2017, father-of-two Mr Prescott said: ‘I’m really proud of what I’ve achieved. But people won’t remember me for my 40 years in Parliament.
‘Instead, I’ll be remembered for 40 seconds of my life. The time I thumped that bloke in the street. That incident, while I was out campaigning in Rhyl during the 2001 general election, will be my obituary.
‘They’ve even put a plaque on the wall to mark the spot of this great historic punch. That’s life, I suppose.’
Prescott wasn’t the last Labour MP to be embroiled in violence – disgraced former shadow minister Eric Joyce was hauled into court in 2012 for headbutting a fellow politicians during a boozy brawl in the House of Commons bar.
Joyce threw punches and ‘nutted’ two Conservatives after a late-night drinking session, snarling: ‘There are too many ******* Tories in here.’
Witnesses said the glazed eyes of the former British Army major, who had to be restrained by eight police officers, made it ‘look like nobody was home’.
As the officers dragged him to the cells, Joyce yelled: ‘You can’t touch me, I am an MP.’
Disgraced former shadow minister Eric Joyce (pictured in 2020) was hauled into court in 2012 for headbutting a fellow politicians during a boozy brawl in the House of Commons bar
The brawl broke out in the Commons Strangers’ Bar, which is reserved for MPs and their guests
Details of the extraordinary incident were revealed during a hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court after the former Falkirk MP admitted carrying out the assault.
The brawl broke out in the Commons Strangers’ Bar, which is reserved for MPs and their guests, at about 10.30pm on February 22, 2012. One of Joyce’s friends, Stuart Niven – an amateur opera singer – started to sing loudly, provoking startled glances from a neighbouring table of Conservatives.
Joyce, who had drunk a bottle of red wine, stood to warn Tory MP Alec Shelbrooke: ‘Don’t ever look at my guests in that way again’.
When another Conservative MP, Andrew Percy, asked him to sit down, Joyce shoved him up against the wall, shouting: ‘This bar is full of ******* Tories.’
When Mr Shelbrooke said: ‘You can’t treat an MP like that in a place like this,’ Joyce swung for the Tory, who ducked the blow. Joyce then punched Conservative councillor Luke Mackenzie, splitting his lip, before head-butting another, Ben Maney.
Labour whip Phillip Wilson then put a hand on Joyce’s shoulder and said: ‘Calm down Eric – what’s going on?’ Joyce responded by punching him in the face.
Police arrived to find Joyce smelling ‘strongly of alcohol’ with ‘glazed’ eyes. He continued his assault as the officers tried to restrain him, swearing at them before head-butting Tory MP Stuart Andrew, giving him a bloody nose and concussion.
Joyce, described as drunker than one witness ‘had ever seen anyone’, furiously kicked at doors as he was dragged away by police, breaking a glass pane as he continued to abuse officers.
The MP – who in 2020 was sentenced for downloading indecent images of children – even managed to snatch a constable’s notebook and scrawl: ‘We are a Tory nation, that cannot be forever …good cops unite…It’s surely …to hate the Tories.’
He claimed at Belgravia police station that someone else had started the fight, telling officers: ‘I think he was a silly fat Tory MP.
Joyce, described as drunker than one witness ‘had ever seen anyone’, furiously kicked at doors as he was dragged away by police. He is pictured in 2020
‘He was pushing like a girl and giving me a bear-hug. I nutted a guy. It was a wee scuffly thing…If people said I was hammered, that was probably true.’
Jeremy Dein QC, defending, said his client had little recollection of the events as he had not eaten all day and had been ‘working intently’ since 8.30am.
‘What accompanies his apology is an overriding sense of shame and embarrassment,’ he added.
Joyce avoided jail after pleading guilty to four charges of common assault. He was handed a 12-month community punishment instead.
He was also barred from all pubs for three months, banned from travelling abroad unless on Parliamentary business, and ordered to pay a £3,000 fine and £1,400 in compensation to his victims.
Britain is not alone, however, in its pugilistic politicians scrapping one another – with the levels of violence displayed in other countries easily eclipsing the UK’s.
In Taiwan, for example, its not uncommon for its entire parliament to descend into political pandemonium, with fighting exploding between elected officials.
In May, shocking footage captured the moment brawling politicians clashed in Taiwan’s parliament in a bitter dispute over reforms to the chamber.
The opposition wanted to give parliament greater scrutiny powers over the government including a controversial proposal to criminalise officials who are deemed to make false statements in parliament.
In Taiwan’s parliament, politicians are often filmed brawling with one another
Some lawmakers have previously been seen hurling chairs at each other (pictured in May)
Others were seen clashing with one another during a similar display of mayhem in 2017
But the ruling Democratic Progressive party has accused the opposition of improperly trying to force through the plans without the customary consultation process in what they call ‘an unconstitutional abuse of power’.
The argument came to a head with politicians punching, yelling and shoving one another during a debate.
The scenes echoed the mayhem that erupted in the Taiwan’s political headquarters back in 2017, when mass brawls broke out twice in two days.
The clash between Taiwanese lawmakers was over the country’s controversial infrastructure shakeup.
It led to dramatic bust-ups which saw chairs being lobbed and politicians punching and grappling one another.
In Turkey, a similar display of chaos exploded in the nation’s parliament in 2016, when MPs brawled with one another across the benches.
In scenes similar to a Wild West bar brawl, MPs were seen kicking, punching and hurling insults at each other in undignified scenes.
MPs unable to agree on a controversial change to Turkish law were caught battering each other on three different occasions during meetings of the Constitutional Committee.
Turkish journalist Ilhan Tanir watched on in horror at the unedifying scenes of mayhem, tweeting: ‘Whole room at constitutional commission discussion fighting w/each other. Almost every single MP. This is a scary fighting scene.’