Who is Scott Benton? Ex-Tory MP quits after being suspended over lobbying scandal, triggering potential byelection in Blackpool South

Former Tory MP Scott Benton has resigned from his position after facing potential removal from the House of Commons. His resignation comes after being suspended for 35 days due to his alleged involvement in a lobbying scandal.

The Blackpool South MP has triggered a tricky byelection for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Local constituents have the option to call for a byelection if at least 10% of the registered voters sign the petition.

Scott Benton was elected as MP from the Blackpool South constituency in 2019. He began his political career in 2011, when he was elected to the Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council for the Brighouse ward.

He also contested from Strangford in the 2017 Northern Ireland Assembly elections and from Huddersfield in the 2017 General elections. He got elected in 2019 from Blackpool, marking the first time since 1997 that a Conservative candidate was elected in the constituency.

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Scott Benton quits parliament triggering a possible byelection in Blackpool South

On March 25, Scott Benton announced his decision to resign from his position as an MP for the Blackpool South constituency. However, MPs cannot resign immediately. Instead, they have to write a letter to the chancellor of the exchequer, requesting to appoint them to the position of Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds. This procedural step disqualifies them from holding a seat in the House of Commons.

In an official statement on his website, Benton declared that he had written to the chancellor to initiate the process of his resignation. He stated:

"It’s with a heavy heart that I have written to the chancellor this morning to tender my resignation as your MP. I’d like to thank the hundreds of residents who have sent supportive messages, cards and letters over the last few months and who have urged me to continue and fight the next election."

Benton expressed his concern about a Labour government, describing it as "catastrophic" for the country. He explained that his decision to resign at this juncture is aimed at affording the new candidate the necessary "time and space to campaign." He said:

"A Labour government would be catastrophic for our country. I’m mindful of giving a new candidate the time and space to campaign to prevent that from happening and it is for this reason that I have made this decision at this time."

Benton's resignation comes after he was suspended from the Commons for 35 days over a breach of lobbying rules. He was elected an MP from Blackpool South in 2019 with a small majority of about 3700 votes.

In April 2023, Scott Benton had the Tory whip removed, and he has been an independent candidate since then. He reportedly spoke to an undercover Times reporter and agreed to break lobbying rules for money. Benton agreed to lobby ministers in favor of the gambling industry and leak confidential documents in exchange for £4000 per month.

The parliament's standard committee investigated the matter and charged Benton with a "very serious breach" of the rules, leading to a 35-day suspension from the Commons.

Benton appealed to the Independent Expert Panel, or IEP, against his suspension. However, he lost his appeal as the IEP suggested they did not find "any substance" in Benton's argument.

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Who is Scott Benton?

Scott Benton served as the Blackpool South MP from 2019 until his resignation in 2024. He was first elected in 2011 at Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council for the Brighouse ward. He served as the deputy leader of the council and the Conservative group leader.

In 2017, he contested the Northern Ireland Assembly elections as a Tory candidate from the Strangford constituency but was unsuccessful. In the 2017 general elections, he stood from the Huddersfield constituency, where he was defeated by Labour candidate Barry Sheerman.

Between 2013 and 2019, Scott Benton worked as a Parliamentary assistant to Conservative MP Craig Whittaker.