Capital Economy, Business and Finance
Scott Benton, a Conservative MP, is facing a 35-day Commons ban after a “very serious” breach of standards rules, raising the prospect of another UK by-election headache for Rishi Sunak. The Blackpool South MP had the Conservative whip withdrawn after he was caught offering to lobby ministers and table parliamentary questions as part of an investigation by the Times. The standards committee found he had given the message “he was corrupt and ‘for sale’”. At the time, Benton was the chair of the Gambling All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), an unofficial interest group . In January, Benton featured in a Tortoise investigation into the proliferation of APPGs in Parliament. The latest data from the Westminster Accounts project shows that the gambling industry has donated nearly £200,000 in cash, gifts and benefits to 64 MPs over the course of the current parliament, often in the form of tickets to sporting events. Benton, who has made speeches in the Commons praising the sector, has personally received nearly £10,000 worth of freebies, mainly from Entain Holdings (Owner of Coral and Ladbrokes) and the Betting and Gaming Council.
Photograph Scott Benton/Instagram