Nigel Farage resigns as MP and calls for by-election
Key Points
- Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has resigned as MP for Clacton-on-Sea.
- His resignation comes amid a wave of scrutiny over undeclared gifts he received prior to becoming an MP.
- Farage faces two investigations by the parliamentary standards committee and has said he will let the people of Clacton be the judge of his suitability for office.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has announced he will resign as MP for Clacton-on-Sea, triggering a by-election in the seaside constituency.
In a speech delivered on Tuesday 7 July announcing his resignation, Farage said he was under a second investigation by the parliamentary standards watchdog over undeclared gifts and lashed out at the media and mainstream political parties over their interrogation of his finances.
Farage has faced scrutiny and a parliamentary standards investigation over a gift of £5 million from Christopher Harborne that he failed to declare prior to becoming an MP.
Yesterday, Reform UK confirmed that Farage had received another package of undeclared benefits – staff, private security, and use of a townhouse near Buckingham Palace – from George Cottrell, a crypto and gambling entrepreneur who pleaded guilty to wire fraud in the United States.
“I’ve thought about it hard, and I’ve decided today I will resign as a member of parliament for Clacton-on-Sea, thereby forcing a by-election,” Farage said in his statement.
He added that he would stand in this by-election, thereby allowing the people of Clacton-on-Sea to determine whether he should remain in public office.
“This will be a people-versus-the-establishment by-election. It’s a chance to stick two fingers up to the entire establishment to frankly tell them where to go, and that is why I will be putting my name forward to stand in this by-election,” he said.
Gifts received before someone becomes an MP do not need to be declared if they were given in a purely personal capacity, and the parliamentary standards committee has not yet determined whether these gifts accepted by Farage should have been declared.
When Cottrell began to provide his controversial package of support, which included managing Farage’s social media presence, Farage was Reform’s honorary president and among the most recognisable political figures in Britain.
The MPs’ code of conduct requires new members to declare benefits worth more than £300 received in the twelve months before their election if they relate “in any way” to their political activities, and where there is doubt, the guidance is to register anyway.
Cottrell is currently seeking a pardon from US President Donald Trump after serving time in an Arizona prison for 21 offences connected to a money laundering scheme.
