Disgraced ex-Labour MP calls fighting his hobby

Disgraced MP Eric Joyce has spoken of the night when he went “on the rampage” in a Commons bar, describing fighting as his hobby.

Mr Joyce, who resigned from the Labour Party after being convicted of four counts of assault in February, said he hit fellow politicians who tried to restrain him because they “presented targets”.

He also boasted about his brawling technique, giving tips on how to inflict maximum damage when butting people.

The comments came in an interview with the Mail on Sunday.

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The former Army major and judo expert, who is standing down from his Falkirk seat at the next General Election, said the fight in Strangers’ Bar started when a friend of his began singing music from The Barber Of Seville.

Tory MPs and aides in the bar apparently objected, and Mr Joyce said he pulled Pudsey Tory MP Stuart Andrew’s tie.

“The next thing I knew, the guy grabbed me,’ Mr Joyce said. “They were trying to hold my arms. Nobody had been biffed at this point. That was the flashpoint.

“There were lots of faces – they were just presenting targets, so once I had started I finished. They kept their heads close to me, which is never a good idea. They were trying – ineffectively – to restrain me, which is not a good idea either.”

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Mr Joyce went on: “More seasoned folk in a bar would have just stepped away. I regard a tie tug as a fairly “stop p****** me off” kind of thing, not the equivalent of a punch in the mouth. ”

The 51-year-old said the only real resistance came from Tory MP for Thurrock Jackie Doyle-Price. “She was gutsy considering I was punching her entire staff and mates. She put her face in mine,” he added.

The MP, who said he was “chatting to folk about anger management”, estimated he had been in 100 fights, but never lost one.

When asked whether fighting was his main passion, Mr Joyce, who has confessed to a problem with alcohol in the past, said: “No, it’s just a hobby.”

He added that he was “better at it than politics”.

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