Tory MP suspended after offering leaked information to fake gambling firm
The Tories have suspended MP Scott Benton pending an investigation into undercover footage of him offering to lobby ministers on behalf of gambling investors in exchange for money.
Blackpool South MP Scott Benton was stripped of the party whip after an undercover investigation for The Times found he was prepared to leak market sensitive information to a fake investment fund and ask parliamentary questions on its behalf. This would be a breach of parliamentary rules.
Benton referred himself to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. A spokesperson for Tory chief whip Simon Hart said Benton “has had the Conservative Party Whip suspended whilst an investigation is ongoing”.
During a meeting in London last month, the Tory told the reporters 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.