Wednesday, July 15, 2026

UK Conservative Party lawmaker suspended over gambling firm lobby

Mr Benton was caught on camera telling undercover reporters posing as investors how he was willing to take actions which would break parliament’s lobbying rules.

• April 6, 2023
Scott Benton
Scott Benton

The British Conservatives has suspended a member of parliament Scott Benton pending an investigation into undercover footage of him offering to lobby ministers on behalf of gambling investors in exchange for money.

He was stripped of the party whip after an undercover investigation for The Times found he was prepared to leak market sensitive information to a bogus investment fund and ask parliamentary questions on its behalf, in breach of parliamentary rules.

A spokesperson for Conservative Party chief whip Simon Hart said following his self-referral to the parliamentary commissioner for standards, Mr Benton “has had the Conservative Party whip suspended whilst an investigation is ongoing.’’

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who entered office in 2022 promising “integrity’’ within the party, had come under pressure to withdraw the whip from the Blackpool South MP.

Labour said the prime minister’s failure to act before Mr Benton referred himself to the commissioner showed his “weakness.”

Mr Benton was caught on camera telling undercover reporters posing as investors 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 the 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 UK 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 Commons voting lobby.

(dpa/NAN)

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Kaduna

States

Kaduna LG welcomes NLC delegation on sensitisation tour, recommits to workers’ welfare 

Mr Suleiman reaffirmed the union’s commitment to protecting workers’ welfare and promoting industrial harmony across the state.

Nonye Soludo

Uncategorized

Gov. Soludo’s wife urges youths to embrace skills acquisition, continuous learning

Mrs Soludo encouraged youths to embrace continuous learning and never stop acquiring new skills.

Troops of Operation Fansan Yamma

Heading 2

13 victims rescued as troops overpower terrorists in Zamfara gun battle

Mr Danja said the rescue followed intelligence-led operations in the affected areas.

Scraps

States

Scrap scarcity major challenge in Nigeria’s steel sector: Expert

Mr Madagua described scrap as a key raw material for steel production.

World

UK proposes midnight social media ban for teens

The government also wants features considered addictive such as auto-play and infinite scroll to be disabled by default.

Eastland Electricity Distribution Limited

States

EEDL warns customers against illegal electricity connections

The head of communications said every customer had the right to be connected to electricity through a transparent and approved process.