Scott Benton: Lobbying scandal MP recall petition date announced

Voters in Blackpool South will be able to sign a petition to potentially unseat their MP from 12 March.

The Commons voted on Tuesday to suspend the MP for 35 days, exceeding the 10-day threshold that triggers a recall petition.

Voters can sign the petition until 22 April, and if 10% of the electorate signs it a by-election will be held.

Locations for signing the petition will be released soon.

A Blackpool council statement confirmed that "notice was received from the Speaker of the House of Commons that a Recall Petition under the Recall of MPs Act 2015 was to be opened in respect of Scott Benton MP".

The ex-Tory, who is now an independent, broke Commons rules when an undercover investigation by the Times found him offering to lobby ministers and table parliamentary questions on behalf of gambling investors.

An independent panel upheld a decision by the Standards Committee, which Mr Benton had appealed against.

It said there had been "no procedural flaw" in the process.

Mr Benton has previously said he was "deeply disappointed" and claimed there had been a "lack of integrity" throughout the process, which was "prone to regular leaks at every stage".

He said he has continued to serve his constituents.

He was elected as a Conservative in 2019 with a 3,690 majority.

Labour Party chairwoman Anneliese Dodds said Mr Benton should resign at once to "save his constituents the upheaval and cost of a recall petition".

A Blackpool South contest would be the fourth by-election this year, and if the Conservatives failed to win in the poll it would be the 11th seat lost by the government since the current Parliament began in 2019.

Any poll would be unlikely to occur until the end of April or the beginning of May.

The BBC has contacted Mr Benton for comment.

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