2024 Blackpool South by-election: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 17:50, 25 March 2024
Blackpool South constituency | |||
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 Boundary of Blackpool South in Lancashire | |||
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A by-election is expected to take place on May 2, 2024 in the UK Parliament constituency of Blackpool South following the incumbent MP Scott Benton resigning[1] after a 35-day suspension from the House of Commons. This triggered a recall petition, which had started, but was then cancelled by Benton's resignation.
The date of the election is yet to be determined. It will only take place if it is not superseded by the next United Kingdom general election. The by-election will be the 23rd[2] of the 58th Parliament, which was elected in 2019.
Background
Corruption allegations
In April 2023 The Times published an article resulting from a sting operation alleging that Benton was willing to table parliamentary questions, leak documents and lobby ministers on behalf of gambling companies in return for "thousands of pounds per month".[3] Benton was subsequently suspended from the Conservative Party,[4] sitting thereafter as an independent MP.[5]
In December 2023 the House of Commons' Standards Committee found that he had breached the House's rules and recommended a 35-day suspension from the House.[6] This finding was appealed to the Independent Expert Panel, but the panel "found no substance" in Benton's arguments and dismissed the appeal.[7] On 27 February 2024 the Commons approved a motion suspending Benton from the House for 35 days.[5]
Recall petition
As the length of Benton's suspension exceeded the 10-day threshold designated in the Recall of MPs Act 2015, this triggered the recall procedure.[5]
The signing period began on Tuesday 12 March and was set to run until Monday 22 April 2024. There were eight designated signing places within the constituency open for signing on working days during the petition period. Persons registered to vote via post or proxy were able to sign the petition by these means.[8] The number of signatures required for the petition to be successful, 10% of the constituency's electorate, was 5,634.[8]
Resignation
On 25 March 2024, two weeks into the petition, Benton announced he was resigning from Parliament. This will result in the petition being aborted and a by-election being held.[9]
Campaign
The by-election is expected to be held on 2 May 2024, concurrently with local elections.[9]
Candidates
Labour selected Chris Webb, former assistant to then Blackpool South MP Gordon Marsden, to stand for the constituency in August 2023.[10][11]
Previous Result
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Scott Benton | 16,247 | 49.6 | +6.5 | |
| Labour | Gordon Marsden | 12,557 | 38.3 | -12.0 | |
| Brexit Party | David Brown | 2,009 | 6.1 | N/A | |
| Liberal Democrats | Bill Greene | 1,008 | 3.1 | +1.3 | |
| Green | Becky Daniels | 563 | 1.7 | +0.7 | |
| Independent | Gary Coleman | 368 | 1.1 | N/A | |
| Majority | 3,690 | 11.3 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 32,752 | 56.8 | -3.0 | ||
| Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +9.3 | |||
References
- ^ "Former Tory MP resigns leaving PM to face new by-election". BBC News. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ "Former Tory MP Scott Benton resigns from parliament, triggering by-election". Sky News. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ Kenber, Billy; Nachiappan, Arthi (6 April 2023). "Exposed: How Tory MP offered to lobby for gambling investors". The Times. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ "Scott Benton suspended as Tory MP after lobbying sting". 5 April 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ a b c "Scott Benton: Lobbying scandal MP recall petition triggered". BBC News. 27 February 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ "Scott Benton - Second Report of Session 2023–24". 14 December 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ Rogers, Alexandra; Scott, Jennifer (27 February 2024). "Rishi Sunak braced for another by-election after ex-Tory MP Scott Benton suspended from Commons". Sky News. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Recall petition - Blackpool South". 12 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Former Tory MP resigns leaving PM to face new by-election". BBC News. 25 March 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ Belger, Tom (25 March 2024). "Blackpool South by-election confirmed: Meet Labour candidate Chris Webb". LabourList. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ Parkinson, Shelagh (16 August 2023). "Local candidate Chris is bidding to seize Blackpool South from Tories at next election". Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ "Blackpool South parliamentary constituency - Election 2019" – via www.bbc.com.