MPs’ corporate jollies kept secret, laughing MP recorded saying

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

MPs enjoy corporate hospitality – including days out at the races – without it being declared, a laughing member of parliament has suggested to undercover reporters.

Scott Benton said there were “ways around” strict rules on jollies offered by businesses to him and his fellow MPs.

A recording of Mr Benton’s comments was released just hours after he was stripped of the Tory whip when undercover footage showed him offering to lobby ministers on behalf of a gambling investor.

He also suggested he was willing to leak sensitive information to, and ask parliamentary questions on behalf of, a fake investment fund, in an exchange recorded during an investigation by The Times.

Mr Benton told reporters there were “ways around” the rules that require MPs to disclose hospitality worth £300 or more. “So without saying too much, you’d be amazed at the number of times I’ve been to races and the ticket comes to £295,” he said, laughing.

The Blackpool South MP has declared his attendance at just one race meeting since he was elected in 2019 – a 2021 visit to Ascot worth £1,400, funded by industry lobbying group the Betting and Gaming Council.

Even before his latest comments were revealed, senior Conservatives condemned his actions.

Transport minister Richard Holden said Mr Benton’s offer to lobby ministers for money was “totally unacceptable”. He told Times Radio he was “glad that it is now going to be thoroughly investigated”.

Asked if an MP’s actions could get any worse than offering to leak confidential documents, Mr Holden replied: “No.”

Sir Keir Starmer said the episode showed that Rishi Sunak had “lost a grip” on his own MPs, and was further evidence that “Tory sleaze is back”.

Referring to a recent undercover operation carried out by the political campaign group Led by Donkeys, Sir Keir said: “It is not a one-off. Only a few weeks ago we saw three other Tory MPs looking after lucrative jobs – thousands of pounds, at the time, for their apparent advice.”

In that case, former cabinet ministers Matt Hancock and Kwasi Kwarteng drew criticism for offering to advise a bogus South Korean company for up to £10,000 a day.

On Wednesday, Mr Benton was caught on camera telling undercover reporters posing as investors how he was willing to lobby on their behalf. He agreed with a fee proposed by the reporters in the range of £2,000 to £4,000 a month for two days’ work.