Scott Benton, MP for Blackpool South, has had his appeal against a 35-day suspension from Parliament rejected after he was found to have breached Commons rules by offering to lobby ministers on behalf of gambling investors. Benton was elected as a Conservative in 2019 with a 3,690 majority, but now sits as an independent MP. The rejection of his appeal means that MPs will be asked to vote on whether to trigger a recall petition, which could force a by-election in Benton’s constituency.
A by-election in Blackpool South would be the fourth this year, and would be a potentially challenging poll for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak after losses in Wellingborough and Kingswood last week. 10% of voters must register their support for Benton’s removal in order to trigger a by-election, a process which would take six weeks.
Labour has called on Benton to resign, with shadow paymaster general Jonathan Ashworth stating: “Scott Benton should do the decent thing and resign, saving the people of Blackpool South a lengthy recall petition that would leave them without the representation they deserve.”
Alistair McCapra, chief executive of lobbying trade association the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, welcomed the decision, claiming that unethical and underhand attempts to influence policy were damaging trust in politics.
Benton said he was “deeply disappointed” by the decision, claiming that there had been a “lack of integrity” throughout the process. A new statement released by the MP said that he had continued to work for his constituents throughout the process.
Blackpool South has been a Conservative seat for most of the last seventy years, apart from a period between 1997 and 2019, when Labour MP Gordon Marsden served the constituency. Benton won the seat with a majority of 3,690 in 2019, and his appeal rejection means that the opposition will be hoping to reclaim the constituency in any potential by-election
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