Farage quits to stand in ‘people versus establishment’ by-election
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has announced that he will resign as an MP and stand again as a candidate in an upcoming Clacton by-election as part of what he dubbed a battle of “people versus establishment”.
In a video statement where he repeatedly attacked Sky News and The Times and Sunday Times for “harassing” his family amid intense scrutiny of his financial arrangements, Farage said he would quit parliament and force a vote to get the electorate to back him.
He suggested that while he could quit politics and “make some real big money” in the US, he was committed to life in British politics.
“Britain is broken and the public know it, and we need change,” Farage said.
“This will be a people versus the establishment by-election.”
He added he was the angriest he had been in his life and that living in the UK was “like living in a communist country”.
Following the announcement of a by-election, most mainstream political parties responded to say they would not stand a candidate. Farage is currently facing an investigation by the parliamentary standards commissioner over whether he broke rules for MPs by not disclosing the details of a £5m donation from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne before the last general election.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said she would not contest a “fake” election and accused Farage of of “running away from scrutiny” by delaying an ongoing parliamentary investigation.
The Liberal Democrats’ Sir Ed Davey pressed other parties to avoid standing and instead “refuse to give oxygen to Farage’s vanity project”. Labour had not taken an official stance on Tuesday afternoon yet several MPs urged leaders not to stand a candidate.
Restore Britain’s Rupert Lowe, a former Reform UK MP who is seen as a threat to Farage, said he would wait until a “second by-election” as he predicted that Farage would be forced to leave parliament following the inquiry.
Farage’s statement came as further scrutiny over his financial arrangements was raised over the weekend. Farage previously claimed a £5m donation from Harbone was for personal security before later saying the payment was a reward for campaigning in favour of Brexit. On Tuesday, the Reform leader said he remained “grateful” to Harborne for providing funds for security.
Farage’s finances under scope
The Sunday Times meanwhile reported that donations by George Cottrell, a 32-year-old aristocrat and close friend of Farage’s who had been convicted for wire fraud in the US, appeared to breach the rules on personal gifts.
While Reform has lost some figures, such as David Bull, the broadcaster who resigned as the party’s chairman, the party has generally managed to retain support from the electorate.
Recent Morning Wire/Freshwater Strategy polling showed that the party held 29 per cent of the vote share while Labour was on 20 per cent and the Tories were on 21 per cent at the end of June.
Reform representatives including Robert Jenrick, the Treasury spokesman, and Zia Yusuf, the home affairs spokesman, have taken a more active role in campaigning.
Richard Tice, who is the husband of a former Sunday Times reporter, has stood by Farage throughout intense scrutiny.