Tory MP Scott Benton suspended after being filmed offering fake gambling company to lobby ministers

The Conservatives have suspended Rep. Scott Benton pending an investigation into undercover footage of him offering to lobby ministers on behalf of gambling investors for money.

He was stripped of the party whip after an investigation for The Times found he was willing to leak market-sensitive information to a fake investment fund and make parliamentary inquiries on his behalf, in violation of parliamentary rules.

Mr Benton was caught on camera telling undercover reporters posing as investors how he was prepared to take action that would go against Parliament’s lobbying rules.

These rules prohibit MPs from representing a specific matter in the House of Representatives or raising it with ministers for payment.

They are also prohibited from acting as paid parliamentary advisers or advisors, or from advising companies on how to influence Parliament.

At a meeting in early March, Mr Benton described how he could support the fund, which he believed was set up by an Indian businessman looking to make investments in the UK betting and gambling sector, by trying to pass proposed gambling reforms dilute.

Mr Benton offered a “guarantee” that he would provide the company with a copy of an upcoming white paper on gambling at least two days before publication, which could potentially allow it to benefit from market-sensitive information.

He also said he could make parliamentary written questions and that he had previously done so on behalf of another company.

Mr Benton said he could “offer the direct ear of a minister who is actually going to make those decisions” and speak to them outside the House of Commons voting lobby.

The MP agreed to a fee of between £2,000 and £4,000 a month for two days’ work, which the reporters suggested.

A spokesman for Tory chief whip Simon Hart said that after referring himself to Parliament’s standards commissioner, Mr Benton “has suspended the Conservative Party whip pending an inquiry”.

Rishi Sunak, who took office last year and pledged “integrity” within the party, had come under pressure to remove the whip from the Blackpool South MP.

Labor said the Prime Minister’s failure to act before Mr Benton referred himself to the Commissioner showed his “weakness”.

The government is conducting a major review of gambling laws and considering tighter regulations that could impact operators’ profits.

Following the suspension of the stick, which means Mr Benton no longer sits as a Tory in the House of Commons, a Labor spokesman said: “Again we see Rishi Sunak’s weakness.

“Rather than act immediately, he waited until Scott Benton referred himself to the commissioner. Rishi Sunak’s lack of mandate means he’s too nervous to move against his own troops. No wonder Tory MPs think they can get away with blue-eyed murder.”

The party’s shadow Commons leader, Thangam Debbonaire, said Mr Sunak “must get a handle on this new wave of Tory smut and take immediate action to prevent this shameful money-for-issues scandal from spreading any further “.

Lib Dem Deputy Chair Daisy Cooper said: “These shocking revelations are another damning indictment of the state of the Conservative Party. The British public is fed up with the Conservative filth.’

It comes after former Cabinet ministers Matt Hancock and Kwasi Kwarteng were criticized for offering to advise a fake South Korean company for up to £10,000 a day in a sting last month by campaign group Led By Donkeys, although there was no allegation of the wrongdoing.

Tory MP Bob Seely told TalkTV: “I hate the way these rich and powerful interests are getting entangled with MPs and we shouldn’t be doing it.

“I try to be super careful with this stuff. I wish my colleagues would do the same.”

In a statement, Mr Benton said: “Last month I was approached by an alleged company offering me an advisory role as an expert. I met with two people who claimed to represent the company to find out what that role entailed.

“After this meeting, I was asked to submit my CV and some other personal data. I did not do this because I feared that what was being asked of me would not conform to parliamentary rules.

“I contacted the Commons Registrar and Parliamentary Standards Commissioner who clarified these rules for me and have had no further contact with the company. I did this before being made aware that the company does not exist and the people claiming to represent it were journalists.’

Downing Street said it was primarily a matter for Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Daniel Greenberg and flogging matters were a matter for the Whips Office.

Mr. Greenberg’s office has been contacted.