Rishi Sunak is set for a fresh by-election headache as a former Tory MP faces a 35-day suspension from the Commons.

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Scott Benton had the Tory whip suspended after a sting exposed him offering to lobby for gambling industry investors. Mr Benton was prepared to leak market-sensitive information to an investment fund and ask parliamentary questions on its behalf, in breach of parliamentary lobbying rules, an undercover investigation for The Times found.

After a lengthy investigation, Parliament’s standards committee said he had repeatedly indicated “his willingness to disregard the House’s rules”.

It said a “serious sanction” was needed, recommending he be suspended from Parliament for 35 days.