A Government minister today blasted the ‘totally unacceptable’ behaviour of a suspended Tory MP caught up in a new lobbying scandal.
Scott Benton, the Blackpool South MP, has had the Conservative whip removed while a probe takes place into footage of him as part of a newspaper sting operation.
An undercover investigation by The Times saw Mr Benton filmed saying he was prepared to leak market sensitive information to a bogus investment fund.
He also offered to lobby ministers on behalf of gambling investors, who were actually newspaper reporters posing as business representatives, in exchange for payment.
Richard Holden, a minister at the Department for Transport, this morning said there was nothing worse than an MP offering to leak confidential documents.
‘This behaviour is totally unacceptable and I am glad that it is now going to be thoroughly investigated, all the claims made, and will be properly looked into,’ Mr Holden told Times Radio.
Scott Benton, the Blackpool South MP, was filmed saying he was prepared to leak market sensitive information to a bogus investment fund
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Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer claimed that ‘Tory sleaze is back’ and accused Mr Benton of a ‘flagrant disregard’ of MPs’ rules.
The body representing lobbyists called for Mr Benton to apologise and ‘consider his position’.
Mr Benton was caught on camera describing how he was willing to take actions which would break Parliament’s lobbying rules.
Under those rules, MPs are forbidden from advocating a particular matter in the House or raising it with ministers in return for payment.
They are also prohibited from serving as a paid parliamentary adviser or consultant or guiding firms on ways to influence Parliament.
In a meeting in early March, Mr Benton described how he could support an investment fund, which he believed was set up by an Indian businessman looking to make investments in the UK betting and gaming sector, by attempting to water down proposed gambling reforms.
It comes as the Government is carrying out a major review of gambling laws, mulling stricter regulations that could affect operators’ profits.
Mr Benton offered a ‘guarantee’ to provide a copy of an upcoming gambling White Paper to the business at least two days before publication, potentially allowing it to benefit from market sensitive information.
He also said he could table 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 these decisions’ and speak to them outside the House of Commons voting lobby.
The MP agreed with a fee proposed by the undercover reporters in the range of £2,000 to £4,000 a month for two days’ work.
A spokesperson for Tory chief whip Simon Hart last night said, following his self-referral to the Parliament’s sleaze watchdog, Mr Benton ‘had the Conservative Party whip suspended whilst an investigation is ongoing’.
Richard Holden, a minister at the Department for Transport, this morning said there was nothing worse than an MP offering to leak confidential documents
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Sir Keir today claimed the exposure of Mr Benton was ‘not a one-off’ as he referred to another recent sting operation by the Led By Donkeys campaign group that saw Tory MPs agreeing to work for a fake South Korean company for around £10,000 a day.
‘I think it is really important we have rules and regulations, and transparency, so that wherever anyone accepts hospitality we know what has happened,’ the Labour leader said.
‘With Scott Benton, as we have seen, it is flagrant disregard of those rules and those principles.
‘It is not a one-off. Only a few weeks ago we saw three other Tory MPs looking after lucrative jobs, thousands of pounds at the time, for their apparent advice.
‘I think all of this shows that the Prime Minister has lost a grip and, if ever we needed further evidence this is it, that Tory sleaze is back.’
Alastair McCapra, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), said: ‘It is hugely frustrating to read of yet another MP who apparently believes they can use their position to act on behalf of an external body for payment.
‘The rules that are in place and the penalties for breaching them are either not clear enough or not tough enough.’
‘The CIPR is clear; parliamentarians should not be paid to work as lobbyists but the scandals of the last couple of years have resulted in insufficient changes to lobbying laws and, for some MPs, damaging headlines alone have not provided enough of deterrent to stop them offering their services.
Mr McCapra added that Mr Benton ‘should apologise and consider his position’.
In a statement, Mr Benton said: ‘Last month I was approached by a purported company offering me an expert advisory role.
‘I met with two individuals claiming to represent the company to find out what this role entailed.
‘After this meeting, I was asked to forward my CV and some other personal details. I did not do so as I was concerned that what was being asked of me was not within Parliamentary rules.
‘I contacted the Commons Registrar and the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner who clarified these rules for me and had no further contact with the company.
‘I did this before being made aware that the company did not exist and the individuals claiming to represent it were journalists.’