Rishi Sunak braced for another by-election after ex-Tory MP Scott Benton suspended from Commons

Published

1 year ago

February 27, 2024

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Former Tory MP Scott Benton has been suspended from the Commons for 35 days over his role in a lobbying sting – creating another headache for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

MPs approved the suspension of Mr Benton on Tuesday evening without the need for a vote – known as going through on the nod.

And he will now face a recall petition in his constituency of Blackpool South, which could lead to him being booted out of his seat and a by-election being called.

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Labour Party chair, Anneliese Dodds, called for Mr Benton to resign immediately to “save his constituents the upheaval and cost of a recall petition”, adding: “Scott Benton’s lobbying brought himself, the Conservatives and parliament into disrepute.

“This is indicative of a weak Conservative prime minister who promised professionalism, integrity and accountability and has delivered nothing but sleaze, scandal and chaos.”

Mr Benton had the Tory whip removed last April after suggesting to undercover reporters at The Times that he would be willing to break lobbying rules for money.

A subsequent investigation by parliament’s Standards Committee found he had committed a “very serious breach” of the rules and recommended a 35-day suspension from the Commons.

The backbench MP – who has sat as an independent since being kicked out of the Conservative Party – denied wrongdoing and appealed the suspension to the Independent Expert Panel (IEP), the body that sits above the Standards Committee.

But in a ruling earlier this month, the IEP said it “found no substance” in his arguments and dismissed the appeal.

The length of the suspension means Mr Benton is now facing a recall petition, and if 10% of his constituents sign it, a by-election will be triggered in his seat.

It would take the number of by-elections held during Mr Sunak’s time as prime minister to 11.

Earlier this month, Labour managed to overturn five-figure majorities to win both the Kingswood and Wellingborough by-elections from the Tories.

Sky News has approached Mr Benton for comment.

Politics

‘No doubt’ UK will spend 3% of GDP on defence in next parliament, defence secretary says

Published

2 hours ago

May 31, 2025

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'No doubt' UK will spend 3% of GDP on defence in next parliament, defence secretary says

There is “no doubt” the UK “will spend 3% of our GDP on defence” in the next parliament, the defence secretary has said.

John Healey’s comments come ahead of the publication of the government’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR) on Monday.

This is an assessment of the state of the armed forces, the threats facing the UK, and the military transformation required to meet them.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously set out a “clear ambition” to raise defence spending to 3% in the next parliament “subject to economic and fiscal conditions”.

Mr Healey has now told The Times newspaper there is a “certain decade of rising defence spending” to come, adding that this commitment “allows us to plan for the long term. It allows us to deal with the pressures.”

A government source insisted the defence secretary was “expressing an opinion, which is that he has full confidence that the government will be able to deliver on its ambition”, rather than making a new commitment.

The UK currently spends 2.3% of GDP on defence, with Sir Keir announcing plans to increase that to 2.5% by 2027 in February.

This followed mounting pressure from the White House for European nations to do more to take on responsibility for their own security and the defence of Ukraine.

The 2.3% to 2.5% increase is being paid for by controversial cuts to the international aid budget, but there are big questions over where the funding for a 3% rise would be found, given the tight state of government finances.

While a commitment will help underpin the planning assumptions made in the SDR, there is of course no guarantee a Labour government would still be in power during the next parliament to have to fulfil that pledge.

A statement from the Ministry of Defence makes it clear that the official government position has not changed in line with the defence secretary’s comments.

The statement reads: “This government has announced the largest sustained increase to defence spending since the end of the Cold War – 2.5% by 2027 and 3% in the next parliament when fiscal and economic conditions allow, including an extra £5bn this financial year.

“The SDR will rightly set the vision for how that uplift will be spent, including new capabilities to put us at the leading edge of innovation in NATO, investment in our people and making defence an engine for growth across the UK – making Britain more secure at home and strong abroad.”

Sir Keir commissioned the review shortly after taking office in July 2024. It is being led by Lord Robertson, a former Labour defence secretary and NATO secretary general.

The Ministry of Defence has already trailed a number of announcements as part of the review, including plans for a new Cyber and Electromagnetic Command and a £1bn battlefield system known as the Digital Targeting Web, which we’re told will “better connect armed forces weapons systems and allow battlefield decisions for targeting enemy threats to be made and executed faster”.

On Saturday, the defence secretary announced a £1.5bn investment to tackle damp, mould and make other improvements to poor quality military housing in a bid to improve recruitment and retention.

Mr Healey pledged to “turn round what has been a national scandal for decades”, with 8,000 military family homes currently unfit for habitation.

He said: “The Strategic Defence Review, in the broad, will recognise that the fact that the world is changing, threats are increasing.

“In this new era of threat, we need a new era for defence and so the Strategic Defence Review will be the vision and direction for the way that we’ve got to strengthen our armed forces to make us more secure at home, stronger abroad, but also learn the lessons from Ukraine as well.

“So an armed forces that can be more capable of innovation more quickly, stronger to deter the threats that we face and always with people at the heart of our forces… which is why the housing commitments that we make through this strategic defence review are so important for the future.”