Former Blackpool South MP Scott Benton Resigns Triggering By-Election

Former Blackpool South MP, Scott Benton, has announced his resignation, leading to the initiation of a by-election in the constituency. Benton, who represented Blackpool South, expressed his gratitude to the community but stated his decision to resign from his parliamentary position.

The resignation comes following Benton’s suspension from the House of Commons over his involvement in a lobbying scandal. As a consequence, a recall petition was underway where the constituents had the power to trigger a by-election if a certain percentage of voters supported it.

Benton, who secured the Blackpool South seat in the 2019 general election with a slim majority, faced the possibility of being removed from office by the voters following the suspension.

The by-election, set to coincide with local elections on May 2nd, is expected to be closely contested, with Labour aiming to reclaim the seat in the constituency considered part of the ‘red wall’.

Following his suspension, Benton, who had the Conservative whip removed after a scandal involving meetings with undercover reporters from The Times, chose to resign from his position rather than await the outcome of the recall petition initiated by his constituents.

Labour’s shadow paymaster general, Jonathan Ashworth, criticized Benton’s delayed resignation, emphasizing the divided state of the Conservative Party under the leadership of Rishi Sunak and calling for the speedy conduction of the by-election to elect a representative for the people of Blackpool.

With the upcoming by-election triggering fresh activity in the political landscape, the resignation of Scott Benton adds to the series of electoral events following the most recent by-election last month.