MP suggests he is willing to break lobbying rules for money

Published

1 year ago

April 5, 2023

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A Conservative MP has been caught indicating he would be willing to break parliamentary lobbying rules for money in an undercover sting operation by The Times.

Scott Benton, the MP for Blackpool South, met undercover reporters posing as employees of TAHR Partners, a fake company lobbying to influence government policy, at a central London hotel in March.

The Times has been investigating allegations the gambling industry has secured support from MPs in exchange for financial reward, in an echo of the “cash for questions” scandal that engulfed John Major’s premiership.

The newspaper contacted a number of MPs offering paid work as an expert adviser. Mr Benton responded and suggested he would be happy to be paid between £2,000 and £4,000 a month to help the fake company.

This is in spite of strict rules that ban MPs from carrying out paid lobbying or advising how to influence parliament in exchange for pay, or the expectation of pay.

Mr Benton ultimately did not accept any financial payment arising from the meeting and there is no suggestion he broke any parliamentary rules as a result.

However, during the course of the video, the Conservative MP shows a willingness to break parliamentary rules and leak the government’s long-awaited gambling review, which is expected to be published around Easter following a number of delays.

Mr Benton said he would make a “song and dance” to ensure that TAHR Partners received the white paper “48 hours” before publication – despite the fact it is likely to contain market-sensitive information.

He also gives the reporters three examples of how he could be more useful to them than a PR or lobbying firm, including through direct access to ministers, the ability to table written questions and access to certain papers and information.

‘The direct ear of a minister’

MPs are not allowed to approach ministers to ask parliamentary questions in order to benefit a company that is giving them, or proposing to give them, financial reward.

But asked what he could offer the company as an MP that a PR or lobbying firm could not, he says: “Probably the direct ear of a minister who is actually going to make these decisions.”

Mr Benton said he could wait at the entrance of a voting lobby where “the minister has to pass you and then you’ve got 10 minutes while you walk around to the next vote to have his ear”.

He also told the company about written questions “where we can table things on the public record and get an instant response within five working days”.

He compared what he could offer the company with a PR firm: “The one thing they don’t have is direct access to a government minister.”

At one point he even shows the fake company employees a written question he submitted in parliament “on behalf of one business”.

Despite the ban on MPs advising companies on how to influence parliament, Mr Benton suggests the firm arrange an “urgent” meeting with gambling minister Stuart Andrew and Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer.

He also suggests tabling written questions and then “writing something more formal and having me sit down with the minister and go through it line by line”.

“I’ve supported other colleagues’ particular asks in meetings when they’ve spoken to company X, Y and Z, and I’m sure they would return the favour as well,” he adds.

Towards the end of the meeting, the employees ask whether payment of between £2,000 to £4,000 is in the right “ballpark”.

“Yes,” Mr Benton says, nodding.

In a statement, Mr Benton told Sky News: “Last month I was approached by a purported company offering me an expert advisory role.

“I met with two individuals claiming to represent the company to find out what this role entailed. After this meeting, I was asked to forward my CV and some other personal details. I did not do so as I was concerned that what was being asked of me was not within parliamentary rules.

“I contacted the Commons Registrar and the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner who clarified these rules for me and had no further contact with the company. I did this before being made aware that the company did not exist and the individuals claiming to represent it were journalists.”

Long-awaited gambling review

The undercover sting comes ahead of the imminent publication of the government’s gambling review, which was launched in 2020 but has been beset by a number of delays.

Whitehall sources recently told Sky News it could be published before Easter.

Campaigners and politicians have been calling for urgent reform since laws were liberalised under the Gambling Act of 2005, which unleashed television advertising and made Britain the first country to permit online gambling.

The review is expected to include a ban on so-called VIP packages on betting sites, tighter financial controls and a levy on gambling companies to help fund treatment and awareness programmes.

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Donald Trump trial star witness Michael Cohen accused of lying about hush money phone call

Published

5 hours ago

May 17, 2024

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Donald Trump trial star witness Michael Cohen accused of lying about hush money phone call

Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former “thug” and “pit bull”, has been accused of lying about a phone call he says he made to the former US president about payments to ex porn star Stormy Daniels.

Cohen, a lawyer who worked for the Trump Organisation from 2006 to 2017, has been giving evidence in the case about hush money payments to Ms Daniels – in an attempt to cover up an alleged sexual encounter in 2006.

Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, called into question an important detail – a phone call made by Cohen to Trump’s assistant, Keith Schiller, on 24 October 2016.

Cohen, 57, has maintained that during that call he spoke to Trump (who was either given the phone by Mr Schiller or placed on loudspeaker – we don’t know which) and told him he had paid Ms Daniels $130,000 in hush money on his behalf.

But Mr Blanche called this into doubt – showing the jury a number of interactions suggesting Cohen was in contact with Mr Schiller about a different issue at the same time, namely that he was receiving harassing phone calls and texts from a 14-year-old child.

“That was a lie – you did not talk to President Trump on that night, you talked to Keith Schiller about what we just went through,” Mr Blanche said.

Cohen said that, based on his records, he believes he spoke to Trump about the Stormy Daniels matter.

“We are not asking for your belief,” Mr Blanche said. “This jury does not want to hear what you think happened.”

That exchange was part of several hours of questioning which apparently sought to paint a picture of Cohen as someone who is eager to see his former boss behind bars.

Mr Blanche played jurors audio clips of Cohen saying the case “fills me with delight” and that imagining Trump and his family in prison made him feel “giddy with hope and laughter”.

“Does the outcome of this trial affect you personally?” Mr Blanche asked.

“Yes,” Cohen replied. He is due to return to the witness stand on Monday.

Cohen worked as the former president’s fixer. He once described himself as Trump’s “spokesman, thug, pit bull and lawless lawyer”.

He once said he would take a bullet for his boss and admitted at the end of questioning on Tuesday that he “violated my moral compass” while working for Trump.

Hush money payouts are not illegal, but Trump is accused of falsifying business records to hide it – a claim he denies.

World

Cristiano Ronaldo tops Forbes top 10 list of highest-paid athletes

Published

9 hours ago

May 16, 2024

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Cristiano Ronaldo tops Forbes top 10 list of highest-paid athletes

Cristiano Ronaldo has topped Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes for the fourth time in his career.

Spanish golfer Jon Rahm took second place following his switch to Saudi-backed LIV Golf.

Ronaldo became the world’s highest-paid athlete after his move to Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr and Forbes said the 39-year-old’s estimated total earnings were around $260m (£205m) – an all-time high for a football player.

His on-field earnings amounted to $200m (£158m) while off-field he earned $60m (£47m) thanks to sponsorship deals where brands make use of his 629 million Instagram followers.

Rahm earned $218m (£172m) and joins Ronaldo as the only two athletes to earn over $200m.

Third on the list is record eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi, who switched to Major League Soccer team Inter Miami, which helped the Argentine World Cup winner earn $135m (£107m).

The 36-year-old earned $65m (£51m) in on-field earnings but $70m (£55m) off it from deals with major sponsors such as Adidas and Apple.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James came in fourth at $128m (£101m), while fellow NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks made fifth with $111m (£88m).

France football captain Kylian Mbappe dropped down to sixth with $110m (£87m).

Neymar, who also moved to the Saudi Pro League to join Al-Hilal, is seventh with $108m (£85m), despite sitting out the majority of the season with a torn ACL.

French striker Karim Benzema, who also moved to Saudi Arabia, is eighth on the list with $106m (£84m), followed by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry with $102m (£80m).

Lamar Jackson is the only NFL player on the list, in 10th place with $101m (£80m), thanks to the signing bonus negotiated into his new Baltimore Ravens contract last year.

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Kharkiv: Ukraine’s second city ‘under missile attack’, mayor says

Published

10 hours ago

May 16, 2024

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Kharkiv: Ukraine's second city 'under missile attack', mayor says

Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, is “under missile attack”, its mayor has said.

Ihor Terekhov made his comment not long after regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said at least five Russian drones had struck the northeastern city late on Thursday.

Mr Terekhov said the city’s Osnovyanskyi district had been hit, triggering a fire.

It is unclear whether there have been casualties.

Fabrice Deprez, a journalist reporting from Ukraine, said on X he had “lost count of the number of explosions shaking Kharkiv right now – a dozen or more in the past hour”.

An air raid alert lasted more than 16-and-a-half hours, public broadcaster Suspilne said – the longest alert since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Residents are advised to stay in shelters.

Ukraine war latest

Kharkiv has been a frequent target of Russian attacks in recent weeks.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the city earlier on Thursday to try to boost morale.

In recent days, Moscow has advanced several kilometres into the north of the Kharkiv region.