Ex-Tory MP Scott Benton faces 35-day Commons ban after being caught in sting offering to lobby for gambling firm in exchange for money – potentially handing Rishi Sunak yet another by-election headache

A former Conservative MP faces a 35-day disqualification from the House of Commons after he was caught offering paid lobbying for a gambling firm.

Blackpool South’s Scott Benson acted as if he had been ‘sold’ in an undercover Times article.

An investigation by the Commons Standards Committee recommended he be suspended for seven working weeks, enough to prompt a recall request from his marginal seat.

This raises the prospect of another difficult by-election for Rishi Sunak in the new year.