Rishi Sunak facing ANOTHER nightmare by-election as ex-Tory MP loses suspension appeal

Benton had challenged the decision from the Commons sleaze watchdog that found that he had committed an "extremely serious" breach of Parliamentary rules and recommended that he face a 35 day suspension.

However, his appeal has been rejected. This means that there will likely be a by election in the constituency.

Now Labour has called for him to resign as an MP rather than wait for the outcome of a recall petition following his likely suspension from the Commons.

Shadow paymaster general Jonathan Ashworth said: "Scott Benton should do the decent thing and resign, saving the people of Blackpool South a lengthy recall petition that would leave them without the representation they deserve.

"This is yet another by-election caused by Tory scandal. Britain deserves better than this carousel of Conservative chaos.

"Labour’s Chris Webb is Blackpool born and bred, and ready to deliver a fresh start for Blackpool South."

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Benton, 36, was found to have breached Commons rules by offering to lobby ministers and table parliamentary questions on behalf of gambling investors.

He was elected as a Conservative in 2019 with a 3,690 majority, beating the incumbent Gordon Marsden who had held the seat for Labour since 1997. Following the scandal, he had the whip suspended in April 2023.

In their report, the Standards Committee wrote: "He communicated a toxic message about standards in Parliament. We condemn Mr Benton for his comments, which unjustifiably tarnish the reputation of all MPs."

It added that his actions had "undermine[d] the foundations of our democracy". It also accused him of giving “an incomplete and incorrect picture of what had transpired during the meeting” before the footage was released.

During the sting with reporters from The Times, Benton suggested he could get hold of a Government paper on gambling policy 48 hours before it was published. However, after he was caught he claimed he had actually meant 48 hours after it was made public. The Standards Commissioner Daniel Greenberg said this excuse was not "credible."

In a statement, Benton said: "I am deeply disappointed by the decision of the Appeal Panel to uphold the Standards Committee's unjust findings against me. The entire process has been prone to regular leaks at every stage, with journalists knowing the details throughout.

"This lack of integrity throughout the process has formed an inescapable appearance of bias...it is also incredibly concerning that new members of the Committee were able to participate in the voting process without having been present for the prior proceedings, discussions, and debates.

"Imagine a criminal trial where jurors vote at the last minute despite not being present throughout the proceedings and hearing all of the evidence. This highlights a complete lack of fairness and due diligence in the process."