RISHI Sunak is facing yet another by-election as an MP caught in a lobbying scandal announced he was quitting Parliament.
Scott Benton, who lost the Conservative whip after he was caught in a sting operation offering to lobby ministers and ask parliamentary questions on behalf of gambling investors, has announced he is stepping down as the MP for Blackpool South.
He won the seat for the Tories in 2019 but has sat as an independent since losing the party whip in April 2023.
Benton was already facing a recall petition after MPs voted to suspend him from the Commons for 35 days.
READ MORE: Tory MP suspended after offering to lobby ministers for gambling firm
In his resignation letter, seen by GB News, Benton said: “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.”
Benton has previously said he was “deeply disappointed” by the decision to suspend him from Parliament and claimed there had been a “lack of integrity” throughout the process, which was “prone to regular leaks at every stage”.
Since the 2019 General Election, Labour have picked up six seats from the Conservatives through by-elections.
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