BREAKING: Nigel Farage 'Resigns' as an MP Amid Investigations Into His Finances
But it's a stunt: The Reform leader, who is facing a parliamentary standards investigation, vows to fight a 'people vs establishment' by-election.
Nigel Farage has announced he is resigning as the MP for Clacton in order to trigger a by-election, which he says he will contest.
The surprise move comes as the Reform UK leader faces mounting scrutiny over his finances, including two investigations by Parliament’s standards commissioner into claims he failed to declare a £5 million gift from a billionaire Reform donor before he was elected in July 2024.
Pressure intensified over the weekend after The Sunday Times reported Farage had also received further undeclared support from the convicted fraudster George Cottrell.
Farage has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and insists he has complied with the law and parliamentary rules.
The decision to resign is an attempt by Farage to seek a fresh mandate from voters in his constituency before the standards investigations reach a conclusion.
Had the investigations ultimately resulted in his suspension from the House of Commons, it could have triggered a recall petition and potentially another by-election.
The Reform UK leader, who has become increasingly combative when questioned about his finances in recent days, says he wants voters rather than Westminster and the media to judge his actions.
“This will be a people versus the establishment by-election,” he said in a video statement.
In the broadcast, he said he was “sticking two fingers up to the establishment”, claiming they were trying to stop a Reform government.
“I will fight to win. I will fight to continue the political revolution that Reform has started,” Farage said.
The standards investigations will pause during the election campaign before resuming if Farage is returned to Parliament.
The decision also means taxpayers will now fund a by-election in Clacton less than two years after the constituency elected Farage to Westminster.
A spokesperson for Andy Burnham, the man who is expected to become prime minister in a couple of weeks, said: “This is a gimmick designed to distract from serious allegations about Farage’s funders. What really matters in politics is how we can change Westminster to take power for communities and bring it back to people to make life more affordable for them.”
Zack Polanski, the leader of the Green Party, posted on X calling Farage a “grifter”.
“He always has been and he’s continuing to grift. He knew he was heading towards a byelection anyway so has pulled the trigger early,” Polanski posted. “The people Vs the establishment?! Reform are literally part of the establishment. This man has taken money now from cryptobillionaires and convicted criminals and those are just the ones we know about.”
Farage maintains he was under no obligation to declare the £5 million payment, arguing it was a personal gift rather than one connected to his political activities.
Under parliamentary rules, newly elected MPs must declare gifts, benefits or accommodation received in the 12 months before an election if they relate to their parliamentary or political activities. There is an exemption for gifts considered “purely personal”, although MPs must also register financial interests that could reasonably be seen as influencing their work in Parliament.
Farage’s explanation for the £5 million payment has evolved in recent months. When first questioned, he said the money had been provided to help cover the cost of his personal security. More recently, he has described it as an unconditional personal gift, while declining to explain how the money has been spent.
In an interview with LBC, he dismissed criticism of the payment, saying: “It’s an unconditional gift. I can spend it on Ferraris if I want. That’d be entirely up to me.”
The latest controversy centres on allegations that Cottrell funded staff working on Farage’s personal security and social media operation during the general election campaign.
According to The Sunday Times, that support was also not declared.
The allegations prompted an angry confrontation with a Sky News reporter on Sunday. Returning from Independence Day celebrations in the United States, Farage accused the broadcaster of harassing his family after being questioned about the claims.
“You tell your bosses: you harass my family any more, there will be serious consequences.
“That’s what your organisation has done this morning. Now go away,” he said.
When the reporter repeated the question, Farage replied: “Did you not hear me? You have broken all the rules, Leveson and everything else. Cut.”
Since entering Parliament, Farage has declared more than £2 million in earnings outside Westminster.
His register of interests shows income from presenting on GB News, almost £500,000 for promoting gold bullion, and more than £100,000 from recording personalised video messages on the Cameo platform.
Farage will be the favourite to win back his seat in Clacton, where he has a significant majority. The constituency previously returned a UKIP MP in 2014 and 2015.
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If he does win, I fully expect that if (when) he's found guilty by the standards commissioner investigation they'll suspend him for 9 sitting days/13 calendar days, to avoid a recall petition being possible - either because they assume the result will be the same or to save money (over a decade ago it cost nearly a quarter of a million pounds for a by-election on average, so safe to assume it's more now).
The exact same establishment that he claims to be a victim of will play into his hands, because he's part of it.
I just hope the people of Clacton demand better answers about the £5 million and don't get them.
The man is a joke