Blackpool South will face a byelection after former Tory MP Scott Benton has announced his resignation from Parliament. Mr Benton previously lost the Conservative whip after being embroiled in a lobbying scandal in April last year.
On Monday (March 25) he has announced on social media that he will quit Parliament rather than wait for the outcome of a recall petition.
In a statement posted to Facebook he said it had been “the honour of a lifetime” to serve as Blackpool South MP, adding he wanted to give a new MP 'time and space' to campaign for the seat. READ MORE: Teenage boy rushed to hospital after 'acid attack' in Greater Manchester The Blackpool South MP was caught by the Times offering to lobby ministers and table parliamentary questions on behalf of gambling investors.
It is understood that the Conservatives will start the process to set the by-election on Tuesday, the last day before Parliament's Easter break, reports BBC News.
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