MPs are widely colluding with companies to keep ‘hospitality’ gifts secret, according to a Tory who was suspended from the party after getting caught in a sleaze sting.
Scott Benton had the Conservative whip withdrawn after he was filmed offering to try and influence parliamentary affairs on gambling in exchange for money.
The actions he suggested taking would have breached Commons rules, which also force MPs to declare any hospitality – such as dinners, receptions and events – worth £300 or more.
The Times, which sent undercover reporters posing as investors interested in the betting industry to meet with Benton, has since shared new footage in which he light-heartedly discusses ‘ways around’ the rules.
The MP for Blackpool South is heard suggesting ‘a lot’ of companies are deliberately being ‘cute’ to make sure the reported costs fall ‘just under’ the £300 limit.
Asked whether companies were falsifying their receipts, he added: ‘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.’
Benton and the fake ‘investors’ then break into laughter, before he adds that he ‘thinks’ the threshold is £300.
While not included in the video shared online, The Times also claims he told his reporters: ‘I probably shouldn’t say this, but essentially all MPs are looking for is an email chain saying this is how much a ticket cost, so if we get caught out it’s like, well the company told me it cost this much.
‘And essentially what you [the company] paid for is nobody else’s business.’
The MP, who chairs an all-party group with links to the gambling industry, had the Tory whip suspended after referring himself to the parliamentary standards commissioner in the wake of the sting.
He did not comment on The Times’ report or footage and has otherwise remained silent on the scandal despite repeatedly being approached for comment.
There is no suggestion he made efforts to pursue the role or that he actually ended up breaking any specific rules.
Since being elected in 2019, he has only declared one gambling-related meeting: a £1,400 trip to Ascot funded by the Betting and Gaming Council.
The only hospitality he has declared in the past year is a £700 seat at the Championship play-off final from the English Football League.
Previous reports suggest MPs have accepted and declared tens of thousands of pounds in total from gambling firms over the past year.
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