Conservative MP Scott Benton has become the latest British politician to face suspension for breaking lobbying rules in what is becoming a regular cycle of scandals. Parliament’s committee on standards has recommended a 35-day suspension for Benton after he was alleged to have lobbied for the gambling industry and given company access to confidential government documents.
Benton is accused of leaking the government’s gambling white paper ahead of publication, thereby handing over information about plans to bring in tighter regulations for the industry. Benton has said the parliamentary committee’s report into his behaviour contains “factually inaccurate” statements. He has said he will appeal his proposed suspension and will make a formal complaint, accusing the committee of leaking the report to a journalist.
Meanwhile, newly appointed foreign secretary and former prime minister David Cameron carried out an array of activities during his stint out of office that are potentially now contentious.
The UK lobbying industry is the third largest in the world, with more than 4,000 lobbyists in and around Westminster and Whitehall. But it has some of the weakest regulation. Major scandals have regularly punctuated British politics since the 1990s and lobbying has turned into a continual, rolling controversy.
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Article originally appeared in The Conversation.
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