Conservative MP Scott Benton quits parliament after being embroiled in lobbying for almost a year.

The Blackpool South MP has written to Jeremy Hunt asking for his resignation with a “heavy heart”, meaning Rishi Sunak faces another tricky by-election.

His resignation comes as a recall petition is underway for his seat, after he was reportedly suspended for allegedly lobbying ministers on behalf of gambling investors in exchange for money.

He is expected to be recalled to parliament by voters and face a by-election in the seat he may lose.

Mr Benton won the seat held by Labor since 1997 for Boris Johnson’s Conservatives in 2019. He won the seat by a slim margin of just 3,690 votes, with the Conservatives trailing Labor by 22 points in national polls, so he was expected to do so. To lose his seat in a by-election later this year.

He resigned immediately and, rather than wait for recall petitions to close next month, will campaign early.

Benton said in his resignation statement: “It is with a heavy heart that I wrote to the Chancellor this morning to resign as an MP.

“I have always been committed to doing what I believe is in the best interests of Blackpool and our country. In 2019, I committed to being a positive, hard-working and approachable MP who listens to and takes action on everyone’s concerns and views.

“I think I’ve been more successful in that goal.”

Chancellor Mr Hunt confirmed he had appointed Mr Benton as steward and bailiff of Northstead Estate under arcane rules set out by Parliament for MPs who want to resign. The Blackpool South contest is expected to be held on the same day as the local elections on 2 May.

In February this year, Mr Benton was suspended from the House of Commons for 35 days after he was found to have breached the rules.

The MP came across as “corrupt” and “for sale” after being secretly filmed saying he could raise parliamentary questions and provide “behind-the-scenes” information for up to £4,000 a month, the House of Commons standards committee found .

Mr Benton prepared to leak market-sensitive information to an investment fund and raise questions to Parliament on behalf of the fund, a secret inquiry said era established.

He was caught on camera telling undercover reporters posing as investors how he was willing to take action that would breach parliamentary lobbying rules.

At a conference in early March, Benton described how by trying to downplay proposed gambling reforms he supported a bogus investment fund that he believed had been set up by an Indian businessman looking to invest in the UK gambling industry.

Mr Benton also provided “guarantees” that a copy of the forthcoming gambling white paper would be provided to the company at least two days before publication, potentially allowing it to benefit from market-sensitive information.

He also said he could put written questions to parliament and said he had done so before on behalf of a company.

Mr Benton said he could “hear directly from a minister who will actually be making these decisions” and speak to them outside the voting hall of the House of Commons.

The MP agreed with the reporter’s suggestion that the two-day job would cost between £2,000 and £4,000 a month.

The race for Mr Benton’s seat will be the latest challenge for Mr Sunak, who has faced a series of brutal by-election defeats over the past year, including in Peter Bone’s former constituency of Wellingborough ) and Chris Skidmore’s old constituency of Kingswood.