Nigel Farage has resigned as the Member of Parliament for Clacton, triggering a by-election in the Essex seat which he has confirmed he intends to contest.
In a video statement, the Reform UK leader described the contest as "the people versus the establishment", adding that "the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions".
The resignation comes amid a row over his financial affairs. Farage had been under investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards over a five million pound gift from the businessman Christopher Harborne, received in early 2024, which he did not register. Under parliamentary rules, his resignation pauses that investigation. Farage says the money was intended to fund his personal security and insists he has done "nothing wrong".
He has also faced questions, first reported by the Sunday Times, over benefits including staff and security received from his long time ally George Cottrell, which were not declared.
Cost to the taxpayer
According to BBC Verify, the Clacton contest could cost the taxpayer more than two hundred and thirty thousand pounds. Parliamentary by-elections are funded from central government, though Farage says Reform UK has offered to cover the cost. It is not clear whether election rules would permit that arrangement.
Rival parties decline to stand
Several parties have indicated they will not field a candidate. A Labour spokesperson said the party would not stand, calling the contest a "circus". Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the Conservatives would not contest what she called a "fake by-election", while Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey urged all parties to "stand aside and refuse to give oxygen to Farage's vanity project". Rupert Lowe's Restore Britain also confirmed it would not participate, though it said it would field a candidate in any second by-election held after the standards inquiry concludes.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, speaking at the Nato summit, called the move "a desperate stunt", adding that Farage was "up to his neck in sleaze".
Farage won Clacton at the 2024 general election with 46 per cent of the vote and a majority of 8,405. Reform sources have indicated they want the by-election held as soon as possible.
