‘He IS the establishment’: Readers give their verdict on Nigel Farage’s resignation

Nigel Farage has resigned as Clacton MP, forcing a by-election in what looks like a democratic showdown.

Independent But readers were not convinced; many see this as a way to escape scrutiny of an unreported £5 million gift from crypto promoter Christopher Harborne, which is now the subject of a standard investigation.

The move comes on the heels of reports that the gift was sent to the National Crime Agency over money laundering concerns. Mr Farage also accused the press of harassing his family and said reports about his daughter were “the final straw”.

Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and Restore Britain have all said they will not field candidates in the by-election, branding the contest a “media circus” and leaving Mr Farage with little serious opposition other than new candidate Count Binface.

Readers were quick to brand Mr Farage’s exit as a ploy to evade responsibility rather than a real appeal to voters, pointing to his record of attendance and foreign earnings as the real issue.

Others argued that the by-election boycott by other parties was itself a mistake and that Mr Farage was given a free pass he did not deserve.

Here’s what you need to say:

Clacton voters need to ask themselves tough questions

When it comes to Farage’s re-election as MP, Clacton voters need to ask themselves some very simple questions. Has it improved my life and my constituency? Am I happy that Farage has made millions working at least nine well-paying jobs in the last two years, when he is paid almost £100,000 a year to represent me in Parliament? Am I happy that he probably visited more of his political friends in America than he did surgery in his own constituency? Am I happy that he very rarely attends his workplace, the House of Commons?

I have little doubt that a significant portion of the Reform voter base will not ask themselves such questions because they believe Farage is the Messiah and can walk on water.

Fruit T-Bunn

The most important question

The key question, of course, is how effective any regulatory framework would be if it allowed an investigation into potential misconduct to be halted upon an individual’s resignation.

VickiG

A summary of Farage’s own logic

In summary: I do not deny the allegations that I did not declare donations in accordance with the rules. Still, I didn’t do anything wrong. As part of an evil conspiracy against me, I am simply held to the same rules as other MPs; Please do not bring up what I said about other MPs involved in much smaller financial scandals. I am stepping down as an MP to avoid bad publicity of the investigation and the resulting recall petition. But let me be clear: this is nothing more than a publicity stunt to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money in the hope of getting re-elected, as well as an attempt to avoid accountability.

Remarkably, Mark

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The reform’s own management is not fully democratic

How can Farage “step back” from Reform when he is leader and a new leader can only be elected if 50 per cent of members request it in writing? Eight members sit on the reform board, and only three are elected by the members; This is hardly a sign of democracy and accountability. When asked why the executive committee was not made up solely of elected members in 2025, Farage replied that the UKIP party he previously led had an entirely elected National Executive and had become “completely, utterly and completely ungovernable”. The current order “ensures party harmony”; This essentially means you do what you’re told, otherwise you’re out.

We are concerned about the UK

It is the organization

“A man of the people” – who was given £5 million as a “gift”, owns £4 million worth of properties in leafy Kent and Surrey (some with his family), went to an expensive private school in Dulwich, works in well-paid finance jobs in the city and has been a politician since 1999. This doesn’t strike me as anti-establishment; that order itself.

PhylisStein

Parliament has rejected such resignations before

In 1842 Parliament refused to accept the resignation of Viscount Chelsea, who was then under investigation for corruption, because it was thought that his sole purpose was to obstruct the investigation. If this happens again, Farage will undoubtedly accuse Parliament of moving the goalposts. In fact, they will say that the goalposts have always been there.

SteveHill

Winning won’t eliminate the investigation

He’s definitely in a hurry; If he is re-elected, the allegations against his standards authority will not go away and he will still be under investigation. This review will not be the end; He started to look like a serious politician in the polls, and now investigations into that region have begun. If he can’t stand the heat, he should leave the kitchen altogether.

PeterC

Boycotting the by-election is a mistake

Davey and others who advocate boycotting the by-election are making a political misjudgment. I have little enthusiasm for Farage but the solution is to challenge him and beat him at the ballot box. Refusing to participate in the election shows a lack of confidence in your own arguments and your ability to attract voters. This is also a bad reflection on UK democracy; In a mature democracy, opponents are not defeated by leaving the field. Established parties must participate in elections, make their case and trust voters to decide.

Musil

Prove your worth at the ballot box

The assumption is that Farage will win; I’m not so sure. Other parties need to stand. Instead of swearing, get in there and prove your political worth through your own policies rather than name-calling. This is a perfect opportunity for real politics, don’t miss it.

leaf spot

Must be an independent competitor, not any

It makes perfect sense for the major parties to say they cannot run in Nigel “Five Million Bung” Farage’s by-election. I hope regular entertainers like Count Binface follow suit. In my opinion, there should be only one other candidate: an independent candidate with no party affiliation, standing as an anti-corruption candidate, as Martin Bell did against Neil Hamilton in 1997. Someone Farage cannot claim is part of some kind of government conspiracy. I wonder if Paralympic medalist Ellie Challis could be persuaded to stand up, given she is originally from Clacton.

Actually

Count Binface might be his real rival

Count Binface will do much more for the residents of Clacton and he may be Farage’s only real rival. Now this will bring real change; he is an intelligent and caring man.

ilearthstoner

The establishment barely prevented his rise

At the 2010 Buckingham general election, Farage came third behind Speaker John Bercow (who won with 12,529 votes) and independent “Flipper the Dolphin” (actually John Stevens) who received 10,331 votes to Farage’s 8,401. Farage appeared on BBC Question Time more than any other guest ahead of the 2016 referendum. The establishment hardly hindered his rise; gave him maximum free publicity. Needless to say he never lived in Buckinghamshire.

Letter_from_Captain_Swing

This is not a blunder, it is a smart move

This is a brilliant move by Farage and I suspect it flattens his political rivals. This makes the “establishment” and the mainstream media look like the bad guys. There is more to this pursuit than just the weaponization of the standards committee; like the stalking of Liz Truss or attempts to harm Trump through the justice system.

I think the people of Clacton will probably give it back with a growing majority. Be that as it may, this has damaged the establishment and it is beginning to look like their witch hunt will backfire on them.

Martin

Some of the comments in this article have been edited for brevity and clarity.

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