Scott Benton, the Conservative MP for Blackpool South, has been suspended from the party after being secretly filmed offering to lobby ministers for a fake company. The Times investigation showed Benton offering to table parliamentary questions and leak a confidential policy paper in exchange for a paid advisory role.
Benton referred himself to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards after the sting was revealed. He claimed he did not pursue the role and contacted the Commons Registrar for clarification before learning the company was fictitious. The party whip was removed pending an investigation.
The code of conduct prohibits MPs from lobbying in return for payment. Labour and the Liberal Democrats had urged Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to suspend Benton, with Labour's Steve Reed calling it 'absolutely wrong for any MP to be trying to serve themselves rather than serve their constituents'.
This incident follows a similar sting by the campaign group Led By Donkeys, which filmed former ministers Matt Hancock and Kwasi Kwarteng agreeing to work for a fake company. No rules were broken in that case, but it sparked wider debate about MPs' second jobs.
