The famously boisterous politics of Britain’s parliament took an extreme turn in February, when Labour MP Eric Joyce headbutted a couple of Tory MPs, before telling authorities “you can’t touch me, I’m an MP,” and then attempting to subvert the police officer who arrested him with an appeal to class solidarity. The Mail reports that, despite “pleading guilty to four counts of assault” and being fined a total of £4,400 by Westminster Magistrates’ Court, Joyce has no intention of resigning as an MP and plans to stand at the next election (which will likely be held in 2015):
Labour MP Eric Joyce was today spared jail after pleading guilty to four counts of assault following his brawl in a House of Commons bar last month but refused to step down from Parliament.
However the shamed MP has been fined £3,000 and ordered to pay £1,400 to victims at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
He has also been given a twelve-month community order – which includes banning him from entering pubs and licensed premises for three months – and the court also gave him a curfew order from Friday to Sunday.
In a statement after sentencing, Joyce said he was ‘lucky’ to avoid prison, but said he did not intend to stand down as an MP before the next election.
The 51-year-old was charged with assaulting Tory MP Stuart Andrew following a row in the Strangers Bar on February 22.
He appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court this morning and entered guilty pleas to three charges of common assault and one of assault by beating.
The rest here.