So. Farewell then Scott Benton. The disgraced Blackpool South MP today becomes the disgraced former Blackpool South MP after he announced plans to quit the House of Commons. In April last year Benton lost the Tory whip after being filmed in an undercover Times sting in which he offered to lobby for gambling industry investors. Since then Benton has vigorously protested his innocence but, with a by-election via the recall process looking likely, he has now decided to jump before he was pushed. In a statement he wrote that:
It’s with a heavy heart that I have written to the Chancellor this morning to tender my resignation as your MP. I’d like to thank 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.
Attention now turns to the contest to replace him. Benton won Blackpool South in 2019 off Labour with a majority of just 3,690: another gain for the Starmer army looks inevitable. The only debate is how big the swing will be and whether Reform can finally beat the Conservatives here? With Richard Tice’s party now breathing down the Tories’ necks, it’s no surprise that the contest will likely be held on 2 May, to coincide with the local election results and spare a double-whammy of pain.
Sunak will just have to hope that a bad result in Blackpool doesn’t instil further thoughts of regicide in the minds of his jumpy backbenchers. Talk about a rollercoaster…
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