Disgraced former Labour MP Mike Amesbury will still be eligible to draw his parliamentary pension - despite being convicted for punching one of his constituents, GB News understands.
Amesbury - who served as an MP for almost eight years - will be able to claim up to £12,000 per year in pension funds, due to his length of service.
The ex-MP punched 45-year-old Paul Fellows five times and stood down as a member of Parliament after being handed a ten-week jail sentence, suspended for two years.
Founder and CEO of charity One Punch, Maxine Thompson-Curl, told GB News: “We feel that this is just another insult to the victim of Mike Amesbury.
Mike Amesbury revealed that he now has to wear an 'alcohol tag'
GB NEWS“The sentencing was absolutely shocking, and out of respect for that poor man and his family, Mike Amesbury's pension should be affected by what he did.
“As far as I am concerned, he should receive no money relating to public revenue, he has let the public down. No Remorse."
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), added: “The Parliamentary Standards Act states that MPs receive a salary until they cease being an MP for any reason: IPSA has no discretion over this.
“Therefore, an MP who leaves Parliament – whatever the reason – becomes a deferred member of the MP pension scheme, and any contributions made will remain in that pension. It is not within IPSA’s gift to change this.”
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Amesbury has been collecting his £91,000 per year salary five months on from the assault which was carried out on October 26 in Frodsham, Cheshire.
Until March 17, the former MP has only faced financial penalties imposed by the court, including £200 awarded to the victim, £85 in court costs, and a £154 victim surcharge.
Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Philp, said: “Mike Amesbury has brought Parliament into disrepute by violently assaulting a member of the public, and he should be relinquishing his taxpayer-funded pension.”
A number of former MPs are understood to have found it difficult to secure new positions since losing their seats in June last year, with some earning less than a thousand pounds in the last nine months.
Mike Amesbury stood down from his Runcorn & Helsby seat
PAAmesbury said: “I devoted nearly eight years to serving my constituents. Unfortunately, I made a serious mistake, for which I accepted responsibility, facing the consequences through the legal system and the loss of my career."
“I've fulfilled my obligations, including paying taxes, pension contributions, and National Insurance.
“When I eventually retire, some years from now, I will draw a pension. Until then, I must find a new job.”
