Nigel Farage quits as MP amid scrutiny over finances | Nigel Farage

Nigel Farage has announced he will resign as MP for Clacton to stand in a by-election, after revealing he is under a second investigation by the parliamentary standards watchdog over undeclared gifts.

In a risky move, the Reform UK leader said it was part of “giving two fingers up to the establishment” and would prove the public wanted him to remain an MP.

Farage announced his intentions in a defiant speech, claiming the establishment was trying to obstruct the Reform government and accusing the media of “picking up” and harassing his family. He also said the party had offered to pay for the costs of a by-election which could exceed £250,000.

But his rivals quickly accused him of trying to distract from the serious allegations he faces over his failure to declare a £5 million gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne and financial support from friend and fraudster George Cottrell.

A spokesman for Andy Burnham, who will take over as prime minister from Keir Starmer, said it was “a ploy designed to distract from serious allegations about Farage’s funders”, while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Farage was suffering a “rapid crisis”.

The Reform Leader was the subject of a standards investigation after he failed to publicly disclose a £5 million gift from Harborne before the last election, as the Guardian revealed in April.

Another investigation has been launched into allegations that he was financially supported by crypto gambler and convicted fraudster Cottrell, he said on Tuesday.

His resignation as an MP means the investigations are likely to be paused but could be resumed after the by-election if deemed proportionate. If he is removed from office as a result, a second by-election may even be held after that.

The timing of the decision to hold a by-election before the standards commissioner has made a decision on the parliamentary returns could also raise questions with voters who will not be able to see the facts laid out before deciding on their future.

In his statement, Farage said: “I have given this a lot of thought and today I have decided to resign as a Member of Parliament for Clacton-on-Sea, forcing a by-election… I have decided that the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions.

“This will be a by-election of the people against the establishment. This is my chance to put two fingers up to clearly tell the entire establishment where they are going and that is why I will be putting my name forward to be a candidate in this by-election.”

“I will fight to win. I will fight to continue the political revolution that Reformation started, and I can say to you Clacton voters: If I win, you win too.”

Farage won the seat in 2024 with a majority of 8,400 votes, with the Conservatives coming second and Labor third.

However, he could face a wave of tactical voting against him if there is an alliance of progressive parties, and a concerted effort against him by Restore Britain, further to the right, led by former Reform MP Rupert Lowe.

Lowe has not yet said whether his party will contest the by-election but criticized Farage’s decision to lead a media circus in Clacton. “Farage proved one thing today; everything he does is about one person,” he said.

Farage’s supporters praised his decision as brave, and Reform’s home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf said “history was being made” after Farage “challenged the order of things” with the future of the UK at stake.

Raheem Kassam, another member of Farage’s inner circle, said it had “neutralized the media by turning any issue into a democratic exercise rather than allowing himself to be judged by the country’s corrupt press”, and claimed it had also “stuffed the Conservatives and Restore” and neutralized the parliamentary standards inquiry.

“If he somehow loses, this will keep his head up by putting voters’ preferences first. This is better than being intimidated by the press or some bureaucrats,” he added.

Opposition parties, including the Liberal Democrats, Greens, Labor and Conservatives, have all indicated they plan to participate in the election.

The Liberal Democrats called Farage a “Temu Trump” who was “obsessively self-critical” and did nothing for his voters while lining his own pockets.