A former Tory MP who was facing the prospect of being removed from his seat by voters has announced he is resigning from parliament - triggering another by-election.
Scott Benton, who represents Blackpool South, said it had been “the honour of a lifetime to represent our wonderful Blackpool community in parliament over the last four years”.
“It’s with a heavy heart that I have written to the chancellor this morning to tender my resignation as your MP,” he said in a post on X.
His resignation will trigger a by-election unless Rishi Sunak calls a general election sooner - something that is unlikely after he ruled out holding an election on May 2 and said he is still aiming for the second half of the year.
Mr Benton, who was elected to the seat in 2019, was facing a recall petition after he was suspended from the Commons for 35 days over his role in a lobbying sting.
MPs approved the suspension last month without the need for a vote.
Mr Benton could have been forced out by voters had 10% of his constituents had signed the recall petition that was generated following his suspension.
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.
Why will this cause problems ?
Sunak is already facing stagnant support in the polls, with many Tory MPs dissatisfied with his performance. There are rumours that letters of no confidence have already been submitted. As support is already weak another By-Election loss will continue to exacerbate these concerns which could lead to a General Election being called.
Sunak has ruled out a May General Election, the local elections in this period are likely to see significant losses of seats which will again show a loss of support. If a General Election is called soon after this period, Sunak will likely be depicted as a weak leader placing the party in a precarious position to lose a record-breaking amount of seats. Without a doubt this has put the Prime minister in a tricky position and may prompt an election sooner than he hoped for.