Mr Benton said it had been the honour of a lifetime to represent his constituency (Image: Parliament)
Blackpool MP Scott Benton has announced he has resigned ahead of potentially being forced out in a recall petition.
In a statement on Facebook, Mr Benton said it has been the "honour of a lifetime" to represent his hometown.
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He revealed he wrote to the Chancellor this morning to tender his resignation, and thanked the "hundreds of residents who have sent supportive messages, cards and letters over the last few months and who have urged me to continue and fight the next election".
He added: "In 2019, I pledged to be an active, hardworking and relatable MP who would listen to your concerns and views and act upon them: I’d like to think that I have more than succeeded in that aim. It’s in the best interests of our community that my successor succeeds and I wish them well".
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In February, the Red Wall MP lost an appeal against a Commons suspension, after being outed in a newspaper sting that saw him apparently break MP lobbying rules.
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Following an appeal from Mr Benton, the Independent Expert Panel for MPs upheld the Standards Commission's punishment, meaning that the MP was suspended for 35-days.
The length of this suspension meant his constituents were able to spark a by-election, if 10% backed such a move in a recall petition.
The Tories now face losing yet another seat to Labour.
Mr Benton has a mere 3,690 majority, significantly lower than the sizeable majorities Labour recently overturned in Kingswood and Wellingborough.
Blackpool South voted Conservative for the first time in 2019, after having voted Labour in every election since 1997.
The Commons' Independent Expert Panel concluded that the comments made by Mr Benton, and filmed by The Times, indicated that he had "breached the House’s rules in the past, would be willing to breach or circumvent rules again on behalf of the company in return for payment and that other Members behaved in a similar manner”.
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Rishi Sunak now faces yet another by-election nightmare (Image: Getty)
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Despite the controversy surrounding his resignation, locals reacted with sadness to Mr Benton's announcement.
One said: "This is a bad day for Blackpool. You fought hard for the area over the last 4 years".
"Blackpool will be lost without you, I would encourage you to stand as a candidate for Reform UK".
Another said: "We have never ever had an MP who has worked so hard for us as you have. This is indeed a very sad day for the residents of South Shore".
A third said: "Thanks for everything you've done for Blackpool. People unfortunately can't separate national politics from local politics... all the best with whatever you do in the future".
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In December, the Commons’ top sleaze bluster Daniel Greenberg said Mr Benton had committed a “very serious breach” of the rules.
In the Times recording, the Blackpool MP was caught offering journalists posing as lobbyists help for thousands of pounds a month.
Despite rules banning MPs from lobbying in return for payment, Mr Benton was seen boasting about his personal access to top ministers, as well as offering to leak confidential documents ahead of their publication.
The MP guaranteed he could leak a copy of a forthcoming white paper on gambling reforms at least 48 hours before it went public - a move that could have allowed the fake company to profit from market-sensitive information.
He further dug a hole for himself when confessing he had previously submitted written parliament questions on behalf of other companies.
Towards the end of the conversation, the undercover reporters asked the Blackpool MP about potential compensation, to which he replied he would “leave that to you”.
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When the reporter proposed a fee in the range of ￡2,000 to ￡4,000 a month for two days’ work, Mr Benton replied “yes, I think that’s, yeah”, nodding.
While MPs may believe in a cause and support certain policy changes, it is “strictly forbidden” by the MP code of conduct to take payment for this.
Rishi Sunak has now presided over six Tory by-election defeats since becoming PM in 2022.
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