The 'forgotten' town thrust into the national spotlight

Sitting on the banks of the River Mersey, an industrial town and cargo port has been shoved into the national spotlight. Runcorn has found itself at the centre of a scandal which prove a huge moment for Keir Starmer's government - and the country.

MP for Runcorn and Helsby Mike Amesbury pleaded guilty to assault charges this week. It came after the Labour MP, now sitting as an independent, attacked a man in the street at 2am in Frodsham last year, the Liverpool Echo reports.

Amesbury is due to be sentenced next month, when he will find out if he will receive a custodial sentence. Regardless of his sentence, the incident may have far reaching implications both for Runcorn and the UK.

Despite his guilty plea, Amesbury has garnered sympathy among some constituents. Many see him as a good representative.

Among them is Phil Phair, who went to Amesbury for help with issues on dangerous cladding at his flats.

Phil, 58, said: "We have had cladding problems and when Mike was a shadow minister he was fantastic. And he didn't change when Labour got into power. Nothing is too much effort for him and he works really hard."

The constituency has been put in a difficult position. If Amesbury is given a custodial sentence, whether or not it's suspended, it would automatically trigger a 'recall petition'.

If 10 per cent of voters in the constituency sign the the petition, Amesbury would be recalled as an MP. There's always the change Amesbury will resign regardless.

Either of these scenarios would trigger a by-election - the first since Labour won the general election on July 4, when the party won 412 seats. A variety of factors, including suspensions, has reduced that to 402.

A by-election could prove another headache for Starmer