Recall petition opens against MP caught in lobbying sting

A recall petition that could trigger another by-election has opened against a suspended ex-Tory MP who was caught in a lobbying sting.

Scott Benton, the MP for Blackpool South, was filmed by The Times offering to lobby ministers and table parliamentary questions on behalf of gambling investors.

He was last month suspended from the House of Commons for 35 days after he was found to have breached Commons rules.

Mr Benton was stripped of the Tory whip after the allegations surfaced and now sits as an independent.

The Commons Standards Committee, which recommended the suspension, said Mr Benton’s actions were an “extremely serious breach” of the rules.

Mr Benton appealed against both the finding and the suspension, but an independent panel upheld the Standards Committee’s original decision, saying there had been “no procedural flaw” in the process.

The MP said he was “deeply disappointed” with the outcome, describing the findings as “unjust”.

In a statement on his Facebook page on Tuesday, he said: “We are months or perhaps even just weeks away from a general election where people will be able to have their say on who should govern this country and who should represent our area in Parliament.

“As such, I know that many people will find the significant cost and disruption of the recall petition, and then a potential by-election, as a needless waste of public money under these circumstances with a general election being so close.

“If the recall petition is successful, then the council will have to fund a by-election (£300,000 cost) and then a general election (another £300,000) within months.”

Mr Benton added: “I know that some people will feel let down by what has happened. Whilst I may not be able to regain their confidence, during the period of the investigation, my commitment to working as your local MP has been unwavering.”

The recall petition opened on Tuesday and can be signed by eligible voters in Blackpool South until April 22.

Blackpool Council said on its website that 5,629 signatures – 10% of voters – are needed to oust Mr Benton and trigger a by-election.

A recall petition is launched if an MP is suspended for at least 10 sitting days.

Mr Benton won the seat for the Tories in 2019 with a slim majority of 3,690 and Labour would hope to snatch it back in a by-election.

It is one of the “red wall” seats – the traditional Labour areas that switched to Boris Johnson’s Tories in 2019.

A by-election in the north-west England seat would be the fourth such vote held this year, while defeat would be the 11th time the Government has lost a seat in a by-election since the start of the current Parliament in 2019.

It would cause a headache for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak following recent defeats to Labour in Kingswood and Wellingborough.