MP quits in right-wing bombshell – and says he will run again

London: British right-wing leader Nigel Farage made the shock decision to leave parliament after a series of media reports about his ties to wealthy donors and said he would run in by-elections to prove he has a mandate from the public to stay in politics.

The decision means regional voters will be asked to decide whether to keep Farage as local member or reject him over questions about donations he received from a billionaire investor and an aristocrat convicted of fraud.

UK Reform Leader Nigel Farage has announced that he is resigning as a member of parliament and intends to stand in a by-election to regain his seat.Getty Images

Farage declared that he was angry at the media intrusion into his private life and said that he did nothing wrong by getting help from his rich friends and that parliamentary rules were not intended to restrict an MP’s private life.

Holding a press conference at 2pm in London on Tuesday (11pm that night, AEST), the leader of the Reform UK party appeared on live media about his decision to test voter support in his seat.

The move is unusual in the Westminster system, where it is common for MPs to switch parties or become independent without testing public support in a by-election.

The move could cost several hundred thousand pounds due to the by-election being held in Clacton-on-Sea, north-east London, and the cost of counting votes.

Explaining his concerns about his privacy and the media reports about the financial support he received for 14 minutes, Farage announced his surprise move that would leave his fate in the hands of local voters.

He scolded the media for their reporting and said they should not have any authority over their future.

“As I have repeated, why should they decide my fate when I have done nothing wrong,” he said.

“I have given this a lot of thought and today – today – I have decided to resign as a Member of Parliament for Clacton-on-Sea, thus forcing a by-election which I hope will take place shortly.

“I have decided that the people of Clacton should be the judge of my actions. This will be a by-election between the people and the establishment.

“This is your chance to stick two fingers up to the entire business and tell them clearly where to go.

“That’s why I’m going to put my name forward in this by-election. I’m going to fight to win. I’m going to fight to continue the political revolution that reform started.”

Farage is subject to an official investigation into a £5 million ($9.7 million) gift he received from Thailand-based Christopher Harborne, estimated to be worth billions of pounds.

He also faces calls for a separate investigation by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner into the help he received from aristocratic investor George Cottrell, known as “Posh George”, who is serving a US prison term for wire fraud.

But holding a by-election may not cancel any investigation into the donations, as a commissioner could choose to continue examining whether Farage should be returned to the House of Commons.

Labor deputy leader Lucy Powell said: “The parliamentary standards inquiry is ongoing whether you are in parliament or not.”

According to previous election results and current opinion polls, Farage seems likely to retain his seat.

Farage won Clacton in the 2024 general election. 46.2 percent This puts it well ahead of its closest rival in a first-past-the-post system that does not distribute preferences.

He was clearly ahead of the Conservative Party candidate, who received 27.9 percent of the votes, and the Labor Party candidate, who received 16.2 percent of the votes.

Latest national opinion poll shows Reform taking place 24 percent support The Conservative Party is ahead among voters with 20 percent. A YouGov poll conducted at the end of June showed Labor with 19 per cent support.

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