© PA Blackpool South MP Scott Benton
Blackpool South MP Scott Benton has been accused of more allegations of lobbying a government minister to object to several candidates to chair the gambling regulator.
The Conservatives suspended the whip from the MP earlier this week after an undercover expose by The Times reportedly showed him offering to lobby in exchange for money. Undercover footage was released after an operation undertaken by reporters at the newspaper in which they claim they offered the Conservative MP a paid advisory role.
The latest allegations, published today by the paper, claim that the MP tried to help secure a better licence for a casino. The claims stem from documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.
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Mr Benton privately wrote to then gambling minister John Whittingdale in August 2021 to express “extreme worry and anxiety of the whole gambling industry” about three of the four rumoured candidates to chair the Gambling Commission. He did not object to former Deloitte board member Marcus Boyle, who was appointed to the position the following month.
The documents reportedly also show the MP tried to help secure a better licence for a casino. Parliamentary rules forbid MPs from lobbying in return for payment.
Mr Benton has not responded to requests for comment.
Mr Benton was elected the Conservative MP for Blackpool South in 2019. Since then he has hit the headlines a number of times with his outspoken comments. In 2011, Mr Benton was elected to Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council for the Brighouse ward, centred on the area of that name.
As a councillor, he spent periods of time as Deputy Leader of the Council and then Leader of the Conservative Group. Benton previously ran for Strangford at the 2017 Northern Ireland Assembly election and Huddersfield, a safe seat for the Labour Party, at the 2017 general election.
Mr Benton has considerable experience both in and outside of politics. He previously worked for Craig Whittaker MP and served as a Councillor in Yorkshire for eight years where he was Deputy Leader of a local council for part of that period.
Prior to this, he worked as a primary school teacher where he focused on supporting underprivileged children. During the 2019 election campaign, David Brown, who stood for the Brexit Party against Mr Benton, expressed concerns over his links to the anti-abortion organisation Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), which has campaigned against same-sex marriage and been accused of homophobia.
In response, Benton stated that he was no longer linked to the SPUC. He said that he supported their anti-abortion stance but was not homophobic and was a supporter of same-sex marriage.
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