Rishi Sunak was under pressure on Wednesday night to strip the party whip from a Tory MP who was filmed offering to lobby for a gambling firm.

An undercover investigation for The Times found Scott Benton had offered to table questions, leak a confidential policy document and lobby ministers on behalf of gambling investors.

The 35-year-old MP for Blackpool South, who is also chairman of the all-party parliamentary group for betting and gaming, appeared to be prepared to help an investment fund obtain “behind the scenes” information despite rules prohibiting MPs from lobbying in return for payment.

He was secretly filmed by undercover reporters posing as investors with an interest in the betting and gaming industry who were looking for an adviser to whom they would pay thousands of pounds a month.

Daisy Cooper, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, said: “These shocking revelations are yet another damning indictment of the state of the Conservative Party. The British public are sick of Conservative sleaze.    

“Rishi Sunak must strip Benton of the Conservative party whip immediately. Anything less would make a mockery of his claim to restore integrity.” 

But Downing Street refused to take action on Wednesday night, saying it was a matter for the parliamentary standards commissioner.

Said he could ‘call in favours’

The Times revealed that during a meeting at a central London hotel early last month, Mr Benton outlined how he was willing to use his position to help their business and try to water down proposed gambling reforms.

He guaranteed that he could leak a copy of a forthcoming white paper on gambling reforms to the company at least 48 hours before it went public, potentially allowing them to profit from market-sensitive information.

The MP offered to submit parliamentary questions and said he had done it on behalf of companies before.

He talked about his “easy access to ministers” and said he was prepared to “literally sit outside” a minister’s office if the company needed an urgent answer to a question.

He claimed many MPs who accepted corporate hospitality were willing to table a written question or make a point during oral questions in return.

And he said he could “call in favours” from colleagues who would be happy to support the company’s interests and offered to host a dinner at the House of Commons.

Mr Benton’s proposed actions would amount to a breach of the longstanding rules prohibiting “paid advocacy” as well as flout a new restriction on providing parliamentary advice.

Tahr Partners sting

He believed he was talking to two employees of Tahr Partners, a British-Indian family office interested in investing in the betting and gaming sector.

MPs were told the investment fund was seeking an “expert adviser” because of concerns about the “turbulent political and regulatory landscape” amid a significant review of gambling laws. They said that “gaining insight from policymakers is a key part of our strategic investment strategy”.

The work would take a day or two a month, they were told, and there would be a compensation package.

Mr Benton said he could offer the firm “the direct ear of a minister who is actually going to make these decisions”.

He promised “real-time information” and “easy access” to ministers, including when they were queueing up to take part in parliamentary votes.

If the company wrote to the Culture Secretary and wanted an urgent response, “I could literally sit outside her office until she appears”, the MP offered. If it sent a formal response to a policy consultation, he promised to “sit down with the minister and go through it line by line” to ensure it wasn’t given a “10 second cursory glance”.

Mr Benton volunteered other ways in which he could take advantage of his position as an MP in a manner that would break the rules.

“We can obviously put parliamentary questions on the table,” he said – claiming he could get the answer in five days.

He suggested he had already tabled questions on behalf of companies and named another MP he said did the same.

He also said he could “guarantee” that he would be able to pass on a copy of the review at least 48 hours before it was made public, saying he would “make a song and dance” to make sure he was given the document.

MP ‘had no further contact’

Mr Benton told The Telegraph: “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.”

He said he had not provided his CV as had been requested during the meeting because “I was concerned that what was being asked of me was not within parliamentary rules.”

He said he later “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,” he said.