2013, Benyon's policy relating to access to rivers and his role as an owner of fishing rights was criticised. Writing in The Guardian, George Monbiot wrote that Benyon "repeatedly wields his power in ways that promote his own interests" and being "so enmeshed in potential conflicts of interest that were he to recuse himself from all the issues in which he has a personal stake, he would have nothing to do but order the departmental paperclips". In 2014, Benyon's family firm was part of a property consortium that purchased New Era estate, one of the last affordable housing estates for working-class Londoners. The consortium increased the rents and announced plans to increase them further to match the rest of the market, effectively displacing its current residents. Following negative publicity and protests by the tenants, Benyon Estate announced that it would sell its stake in the consortium back to the landlord, Westbrook Partners, a New York–based property investment company. Benyon was opposed to Brexit prior to the 2016 European Union membership referendum. On 16 December 2016, he was appointed to the Privy Council of the United Kingdom. In 2017, Benyon was accused of nepotism by Private Eye after he hired his sister as a part-time senior researcher in his office just before a parliamentary ban on such practices came into force. In 2019 he was one of 21 Conservative MPs who lost the whip for supporting the European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 2) Act 2019. He stood down in the general election called thereafter. On 3 September 2019, Benyon - along with 20 other Conservative MPs - had the Conservative whip removed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, after voting against the government and supporting an emergency motion to allow the House of Commons to undertake proceedings on the European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 6) Bill. Benyon sat as an independent MP until he had the Conservative whip restored on 28 October 2019. Benyon stood down as Member of Parliament for Newbury at the 2019 United Kingdom general election. House of Lords In January 2021, Benyon was raised to the House of Lords by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, styled Baron Benyon, of Englefield in the Royal County of Berkshire. On 13 May 2021, Lord Benyon was made Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Rural Affairs and Biosecurity, following the resignation of Lord Gardiner of Kimble. On 25 October 2022 Rishi Sunak promoted him and appointed