London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Mar 08, 2026

MP Scott Benton claims ways around hospitality rules

MP Scott Benton claims ways around hospitality rules

Scott Benton has been filmed by undercover reporters appearing to explain how companies and MPs can avoid registering corporate hospitality.
The MP was suspended by the Tory Party after The Times published a video of him offering to lobby for a fake firm.

In a fresh story on the same meeting, he appears to suggest that firms can put falsely low values on tickets they offer for live sports and other events.

Commons rules require MPs to disclose hospitality worth £300 or more.

Mr Benton joked racing tickets he had accepted often came to £295.

The Blackpool South MP, who chairs an all-party group with links to the gambling industry, has declared only one race meeting since he was elected in 2019.

This was a visit to Ascot in 2021 worth £1,400, funded by the Betting and Gaming Council, an industry lobbying group.

Speaking to the undercover reporters, who were posing as investors in the gambling industry, he said: "A lot of companies try to be quite cute about the level of the hospitality to make sure it falls just under [£300], so people don't have to declare it.

"It normally works for the company, and it normally works for MPs as well.

"Without saying too much, you'd be amazed at the number of times I've been to races and the ticket comes to £295," he was filmed saying, and laughing.

The MPs' code of conduct says members must register gifts, benefits or hospitality "with a value of over £300 which they receive form a UK source".

The BBC has not seen the full, unedited video of Mr Benton's meeting with the reporters. He has been approached for fresh comment.

According to the Times - but not in its video posted online - he also told its reporters: "I probably shouldn't say this, but essentially all MPs are looking for is an email chain saying this is how much a ticket cost, so if we get caught out it's like, well the company told me it cost this much.

"And essentially what you [the company] paid for is nobody else's business."

Mr Benton is also said by the paper to have suggested MPs can help companies who give them hospitality.

"Most would, especially if the ask wasn't too onerous, which would be 'Can you try and find out X, Y and Z from members of staff, file a parliamentary question, or submit this question next time oral questions come up in the House of Commons".

This section also does not appear in the video posted online.

Mr Benton was suspended as a Tory MP after referring himself to the parliamentary standards commissioner on Wednesday.

This followed a Times report that he was offered a paid advisory role by the undercover reporters.

He did not pursue the role and no specific rules appear to have been broken, though the code of conduct says MPs should "never undertake any action which would cause significant damage to the reputation and integrity of the House of Commons as a whole, or of its Members generally".

Mr Benton was secretly filmed saying he could table parliamentary questions and leak a confidential policy paper.

Some MPs have declared hospitality under £300 - including Tory backbencher Peter Bone and Labour's shadow culture secretary Lucy Powell.

Mr Benton has not declared any hospitality provided by gambling companies in the past year. He has declared £700 worth of hospitality for the Championship play-off final from the English Football League.

MPs and members of the House of Lords routinely accept gifts and hospitality from companies, individuals, charities and other organisations.

This is not against the rules, provided they declare it in the register of members interests.

The gambling industry is one of the biggest spenders on corporate hospitality at Westminster.

According to BBC analysis, MPs have accepted at least £51,000 from gambling companies over the past year.

In all but one case, this was through donations of tickets and hospitality to events including sports events and concerts. MPs attended concerts by Ed Sheeran and Adele, a Championship playoff match at Wembley, and Cheltenham Races for free.

The donations were declared by 22 Conservative MPs, 13 Labour MPs and one independent.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Dentists Returned £1.3 Billion to Government as Shift Toward Private Care Accelerates
Expert Warns UK Must Build Emergency Food Stockpiles to Prepare for Climate Shocks or War
UK Plans Charter Flight to Evacuate British Nationals from Gulf as Regional Conflict Disrupts Air Travel
Families of Zimbabwe’s Liberation Fighters Call on Britain to Help Locate Skulls Taken During Colonial War
Iran’s Ambassador Warns Britain to ‘Be Very Careful’ Over Deeper Role in Expanding Middle East War
UK Military Leadership Defends Britain’s Defensive Role in Expanding Middle East Conflict
Four U.S. Strategic Bombers Arrive in Britain as Iran War Intensifies
Soham Murderer Ian Huntley Dies After Violent Attack in High-Security Prison
UK Lawmakers and Experts Condemn Scale of Overseas Human Remains Held in British Museums
Royal Navy Aircraft Carrier HMS Prince of Wales Placed on Standby for Potential Deployment
United Kingdom Confirms U.S. Military Using British Bases for Operations Targeting Iranian Missile Sites
Starmer Defends UK Role in Iran Conflict After Renewed Criticism from President Trump
Blue Owl Reveals £36 Million Exposure After Collapse of UK Lender Serving Wealthy Clients
UK Asylum Reform Plan Triggers Fierce Debate Over Border Control and Humanitarian Impact
US Stealth Bombers Head to UK Base as Trump Issues Stark Warning to Iran
UK Deputy Prime Minister Says Legal Case Could Exist for British Strikes on Iranian Missile Sites
Investigators Link Mysterious Parcel Fires Across Europe to Russian Intelligence Operation
Debate Intensifies Over Britain’s Legal Justification for US Military Operations Launched From UK Bases
Britain Faces Heightened Energy Price Risks as Iran-Linked Tensions Threaten Global Oil and Gas Supplies
British Counter-Terror Police Arrest Four Suspected of Spying on Jewish Community for Iran
Axel Springer Agrees $770 Million Deal to Acquire Britain’s Daily Telegraph
Iceland Supermarket Drops Trademark Challenge Against Icelandic Government in Long-Running Naming Dispute
UK Defence Secretary Visits Cyprus Following Scrutiny of Britain’s Response to Drone Attacks
Questions Grow Over Britain’s Military Readiness as Response to Iran Conflict Draws Scrutiny
UK Offers Failed Asylum Seeker Families Up to Forty Thousand Pounds to Leave Voluntarily
Saharan Dust Could Bring ‘Blood Rain’ to Parts of the UK as Weather Systems Shift
UK Deploys Additional Typhoon Fighter Jets to Qatar and Helicopters to Cyprus Amid Rising Middle East Tensions
Experts Urge Britain to Accelerate Renewable Energy Push as Global Conflicts Drive Up Costs
British Public Shows Strong Reluctance to Join Wider War in Iran
First UK Evacuation Flight Departs Middle East After Lengthy Delay
United Kingdom Imposes New Visa Requirements on Travelers from St. Lucia and Nicaragua
Iran Conflict Strains U.S.–U.K. Alliance as Trump and Starmer Clash Over Military Strategy
UK Interest Rates Could Rise Above Four Percent Again if Energy Shock Continues, Think Tank Warns
Starmer Defends Britain’s Iran Strategy as Badenoch Urges Stronger Military Support
Labour MP Says She Saw No Sign Husband Broke Law After Arrest in China Espionage Investigation
UK Jobless Rate Overtakes Italy’s for First Time in Years as Labour Market Weakens
United Kingdom Suspends Student Visas for Four Countries in Unprecedented Immigration Move
Campaigners Warn UK Student Visa Ban Could Push Migrants Toward Dangerous Channel Crossings
First U.K. Charter Flight for Stranded Nationals Set to Depart Oman Amid Middle East Crisis
France and United Kingdom Deploy Warships to Eastern Mediterranean as Middle East Conflict Escalates
U.K. Arrests Three Men Including Lawmaker’s Partner in Suspected China Espionage Investigation
Trump Says UK–US ‘Special Relationship’ Is Diminished Amid Middle East Dispute
UK Economic Forecasts Face Fresh Strain from Middle East Conflict and Rising Energy Costs
UK Reaffirms Close US Ties After Trump’s Public Criticism
Reeves Stresses Stability and Fiscal Discipline in UK Budget Update as Growth Outlook Shifts
UK Deploys Royal Navy Destroyer HMS Dragon to Cyprus After Drone Strike on RAF Base
Green Party Surges Past Labour in New UK Poll as Traditional Party Support Crumbles
Majority of Britons Oppose U.S. Use of UK Military Bases in Iran Conflict
UK Intensifies Evacuation Efforts from Oman, Working with Airlines to Boost Flight Capacity
Trump Condemns UK and Spain in Unusually Sharp Rift Over Iran Military Action
×