Eight recall petition signing stations in Blackpool South opened their doors on Tuesday morning, allowing residents to have their say on whether Scott Benton MP should be removed from post.
Benton is currently suspended for 35 days after he offered to lobby ministers on behalf of the gambling industry. If 10 per cent of voters sign the recall petition it will trigger a by-election in Blackpool South, likely in June.
Constituents registered to vote received a letter from Blackpool Council on Monday, detailing how to vote. As with elections, residents must sign at the petition at their nearest signing station – indicated on the letter – or by post.
The signing stations are: the Salvation Army; Blackpool Sports Centre; Revoe Library; Molyneux Community Centre (off Lennox Gate, South Shore); The Solaris Centre; Bostonway Community Centre (Marton); Tarnside Community Centre (Mereside); and Aysgarth Community Centre (off Highfield Road).
Signing stations will be open for six weeks, until 22 April – from 8am to 5pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; Tuesdays 8am-5pm; and Thursdays 9am-8pm. They will be closed due to bank holidays on Friday 29th March and Monday 1st April.
Benton was caught offering to lobby ministers on behalf of the gambling industry in an undercover newspaper sting. Following an investigation, the Committee on Standards concluded that his breach was “extremely serious”. His behaviour suggested not only that he was “for sale” but that so were “many other members of the house”. This caused significant damage to the reputation of the integrity of the House and its members, the committee said.
A suspension of just 10 days would have been enough to trigger a by-election in Blackpool under the Recall of MPs Act 2015 – Benton was handed 35. If 10 per cent of constituents sign the petition – 5,629 people – Benton will lose his seat and a by-election will be called. The loss of his seat does not prevent Benton from standing in the by-election.
To sign the petition you must be 18+, a registered voter in Blackpool South constituency, and must take ID with you. Anyone registering to vote now will not be allowed to sign the petition but will be able to vote in a by-election. You can register to vote here.
You can also sign the petition via post or by proxy – allowing someone else to attend on your behalf – but applications to do so must be received by the 5th April. To register for a postal vote click here and to register for a proxy vote click here. Those already registered will receive the necessary documentation automatically.
Last February Benton fell out with local Conservatives who signed a letter of no confidence in him. Then in April, following the Times lobbying sting, he lost the confidence of his colleagues in Westminster and had the Tory whip suspended. The Committee on Standards report was the third indicator of failing confidence in Benton followed by an Independent Expert Panel who threw out the MPs suspension appeal - a decision supported unanimously by MPs in the House of Commons. Now the recall petition marks an opportunity for the MP’s constituents to demonstrate whether they have lost confidence in Benton’s ability to represent Blackpool South.
The day before signing stations opened Benton posted a message to constituents on his social media, maintaining he “had not undertaken any actions which broke the MPs Code of Conduct.
“I know that some people will feel let down by what has happened,” he said. “Whilst I may not be able to regain their confidence, during the period of the investigation, my commitment to working as your local MP has been unwavering.”
Benton’s post included a claim that if the recall petition is successful, then Blackpool Council would have to fund a by-election as well as a forthcoming general election at the cost of £300,000 each. The costs of conducting UK elections are in fact funded by central government.
Blackpool-born Chris Webb, the Labour candidate for Blackpool South, urged the public to exercise their power and sign the recall petition in the coming weeks. He said that Benton’s very serious breach of rules “exposes a dangerous willingness to prioritise personal gain over public interest.
“Blackpool South residents deserve the chance to vote for a new Member of Parliament who will prioritise the needs of the people, not their own pockets,” he said.
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