If approved by MPs, Scott Benton's removal will trigger a recall petition in his Blackpool South constituency, which is a key red wall marginal Photo: BERESFORD HODGE /PA ARCHIVE
Rishi Sunak faces another blow in a by-election as the former Tory MP implicated in a lobbying scandal looks set to be suspended from Parliament.
The Commons watchdog has recommended that Scott Banton be ousted for 35 days after he offered to raise questions on behalf of gambling investors.
If approved by MPs, the punishment will lead to a recall petition in his Blackpool South constituency, which is a key red wall. marginal.
This will be the sixth Conservative by-election since Sunak entered Downing Street last autumn.
He has lost four out of five so far – three of them to Labor – winning only in Boris Johnson's former seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip.
Since the 2019 election, the Conservatives have defended 11 constituencies in by-elections. , holding on to just three. Labor and the Liberal Democrats each won four seats.
Mr Benton won the Labor Party seat by 3,690 votes in the 2019 election, and it is highly likely that Sir Keir Starmer's party will win it back seat in the by-election.
“Extremely serious violation”
The backbench MP was stripped of his Conservative Party whip after he was caught in an undercover attack on The Times newspaper in April.
A reporter secretly filmed him offering to lobby ministers and the capital. parliamentary questions on behalf of what he believes is a group of gambling investors.
Following the revelations, he contacted the Commons Standards Committee, which on Thursday published the findings of its seven-month investigation.
The watchdog found Mr Banton's actions were an “extremely serious breach” of parliamentary rules and showed he was “unworthy” of his role as an MP.
The report said he conveyed the message to undercover reporters that he is corrupt and “for sale”, like many other members of the House of Representatives.”
“He conveyed a toxic message about standards in Parliament. We condemn Mr. Benton for his comments, which unduly tarnish the reputations of all MPs,” the statement said.
The committee found that the MP “made representations that he would be willing to break and/or circumvent House rules regarding the company in exchange for payment.”
It added that Parliament should “vigorously consider such cases like the present one, where a Member shows himself unworthy of the office he holds in public life.”
When a Member of Parliament is suspended from serving in Parliament for 10 or more sitting days, it triggers an automatic recall petition in his constituency.
If more than 10 per cent of voters present sign the petition, a by-election is called.
“I did not agree to anything that would break the rules.”
Mr Benton was chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Betting and Gaming when in March, he was approached by undercover reporters.
The journalists, posing as representatives of the fictitious bookmaking company Tahr Partners, filmed discussions with him about lobbying ministers and tabling parliamentary issues.
During the conversations, he also suggested there was widespread abuse of parliamentary rules, which require MPs to declare hospitality they receive worth more than £300.
He told them that “a lot of companies try to be quite nice” . about the value of the hospitality they provide, which “usually works for both the company and the MPs.”
“Without saying too much, you'll be amazed at how many times I've attended the races, and the cost of the ticket is £295,” Mr Benton said in recorded remarks.
Mr Benton defended his actions, telling the committee that “at no stage in the meeting did he agree to take action that breached the rules”
In a letter to the observer, he added: “I do not consider my actions to be a violation of the rules: I believe that I complied with the letter and spirit of the rules.
“The meeting was a mistake and I deeply regret about your comments. I would like to once again express my unequivocal apology for the inaccurate statements I have made.”
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