A FORMER party group leader on Calderdale Council – now an MP in Lancashire – has been suspended from Parliament for 35 days over a “very serious breach” of standards rules.

Until being elected as MP for his Blackpool South seat in the 2019 General Election, Scott Benton led the Conservative group on Calderdale Council from spring 2016.

Mr Benton represented Brighouse ward on the council from 2011 until his election to Parliament.

Elected to his Blackpool South seat as a Conservative, Mr Benton has sat in Parliament as an Independent since April 2023, when he had the party whip removed after a story broke in The Times.

The House of Commons Standards Committee released its report today (December 14), outlining the findings of Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, DanieI Greenberg.

The Commissioner’s investigation arose from a self-referral by Mr Benton following articles published by The Times newspaper in connection with a ‘sting’ operation in which comments by Mr Benton had been covertly recorded.

The Standards Committee’s report says Mr Greenberg concluded Mr Benton breached Paragraph 11 of the Rules contained in the Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament, which states that: “Members shall never undertake any action which would cause significant damage to the reputation and integrity of the House of Commons as a whole, or of its Members generally.”

Mr Benton had argued there was no breach and contested a number of points.

If MPs approve the suspension, it could lead to a by-election in his Blackpool South constituency.

A suspension of more than 10 days – if passed by the House of Commons – triggers a recall petition.

If 10 per cent of voters in his constituency sign the petition a by-election would be called.

He first won his Calderdale Council seat in May 2011, was re-elected in May 2015 and most recently in May 2019.

Mr Benton also worked in the office of Calder Valley’s Conservative MP Craig Whittaker.

The committee said in its report: “In our view Mr Benton breached Paragraph 11 of the Rules and it was an extremely serious breach.

“The bar for breaching this rule is a high one but Mr Benton significantly exceeded it.

“The message he gave to his interlocutors at the 7 March meeting was that he was corrupt and ‘for sale’, and that so were many other Members of the House.

“He communicated a toxic message about standards in Parliament.

“We condemn Mr Benton for his comments which unjustifiably tarnish the reputation of all MPs.

“This makes it all the more important that Parliament deals decisively with cases like the present one where a Member shows themselves to be unworthy of the position they hold in public life.”

Mr Benton had argued that at no point during the meeting did he agree to undertake activity which would breach the rules, did not suggest other Members would be inclined to violate the rules, never insinuated any prior breach of the rules on his part and following that meeting, no further interactions occurred.