Rishi Sunak faces another by-election headache after former Tory MP Scott Benton was suspended from the Commons.
MPs approved the suspension of Mr Benton from the Commons for 35 days meaning he now faced a recall petition in his constituency of Blackpool South.
Mr Benton had the Tory whip removed last April after suggesting to undercover reporters 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.
Mr Benton 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 they “found no substance” in his arguments and dismissed the appeal.
If 10% of his constituents sign the petition, then a by-election will be triggered in his seat.
It would take the number of by-elections held under Mr Sunak’s time as prime minister to 11.
