Former Calderdale councillor Scott Benton loses appeal against suspension as Blackpool MP

Elected to his Blackpool South seat as a Conservative at the 2019, Scott Benton has sat in Parliament as an Independent since April 2023, when he had the party whip removed after a story The Times’ newspaper broke.

Undercover footage appeared to show Mr Benton saying he could lobby ministers on behalf of the gambling industry for up to £4,000 a month.

He is now likely to face a recall petition by constituents if MPs endorse the suspension, which could prompt a by-election.

Mr Benton referred himself to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards over the issue and was suspended for 35 days over a “very serious breach” of standards rules which “communicated a toxic message about standards in Parliament.”

The Commissioner concluded Mr Benton breached Paragraph 11 of the rules contained in the code of conduct for Members of Parliament.

Mr Benton appealed the suspension to the Independent Expert Panel - the body that sits above the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards and the Parliamentary Standards Committee.

He claimed no rules had been broken but the suspension has now been upheld.

The MP represented Brighouse ward on Calderdale Council from 2011 until his election to Parliament and also worked in the office of Calder Valley’s Conservative MP Craig Whittaker.

On social media, several of his Calderdale Labour opponents have intimated they will head to Blackpool to campaign for Labour candidate for the seat.