Conservative MP Scott Benton has had the Tory party whip removed pending an investigation into undercover footage of 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.
A spokesperson for Chief Whip Simon Hart said: “Following his self-referral to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards earlier this evening, Scott Benton has had the Conservative Party Whip suspended whilst an investigation is ongoing.”
The decision comes just hours after prime minister Rishi Sunak, who entered office last year promising “integrity” within the party, faced calls to strip the Blackpool South MP of the Conservative whip in light of the revelations.
