Labour MP jailed as former Reform Wales leader is charged with accepting bribes to aid Russia

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It's been a busy day in the courts for politicians, writes our legal affairs correspondent.

First, the Independent (formerly Labour) MP for Runcorn and Helsby, Mike Amesbury, was jailed for 10 months after punching a constituent in the street.

As Amesbury has been imprisoned, a recall petition can now be launched to remove him from the Commons if he doesn't do the decent thing.

Then Nathan Gill, who was a UKIP and later a Brexit Party MEP between 2014 and 2020, and briefly the leader of Reform Wales after that, appeared in court accused of accepting bribes to make statements in the European Parliament that would benefit Russia.

The Crown said the alleged offences were carried out during his time as an MEP and before the UK left the European Parliament, on 31 January 2020.

Gill was granted bail on the condition that he surrenders his passport and does not obtain international travel documents nor contact his co-accused, the retired Ukrainian politician Oleg Voloshyn.