Why has UK Reform’s Nigel Farage resigned as MP? What happens next?
Farage faces intense scrutiny over undeclared donations before the 2024 elections as other parties say they will not field candidates in by-election. The leader of
Farage faces intense scrutiny over undeclared donations before the 2024 elections as other parties say they will not field candidates in by-election. The leader of the far-right, anti-immigration Reform UK party, Nigel Farage, has resigned from his seat in parliament and plans to stand again for his constituency amid allegations that he received and failed to declare millions of dollars in donations. The surprise announcement came on Tuesday as Farage faced the possibility of a parliamentary investigation into at least two funding scandals. A finding against him could have seen Farage suspended from parliament, possibly triggering a recall petition and a by-election in his constituency, Clacton, in eastern England. By stepping down preemptively, the Reform leader, whose popularity has soared over the past two years and who is now viewed as a favourite to be the next prime minister, has triggered a by-election on his own terms – in which he himself can stand. “The people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions,” Farage said on Tuesday. “This will be a people vs the establishment by-election.” Farage added: “I will fight to win.” Other parties have already stated that they will not field candidates for a by-election Farage triggers. The right-wing populist leader has been one of the loudest anti-immigration voices in the United Kingdom and was key to securing victory for the Brexit movement. His Reform party currently has just eight of 650 parliament seats but has been leading in opinion polls as anti-migrant sentiments flare in the UK.
Last year, a YouGov poll found that Reform would likely win a general election were one to be held then. In May, Labour lost massively to Reform in elections in Wales and Scotland and 136 local council elections in England. While Reform gained more than 1,450 seats, including in Labour strongholds, the governing party lost more than 1,460 seats, giving a strong indication of the surge in support for Reform across the country. Here’s what we know What is the funding scandal surrounding Nigel Farage? Farage is facing an investigation by parliament into donations, including allegations he received undeclared money for his campaign. Receiving gifts is not against parliament’s code of conduct, but failing to declare them can be. The main investigation is one conducted by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards into a 5-million-pound ($6.7m) undeclared donation Farage received from Thailand-based cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne before announcing his candidacy in the 2024 general election. On Tuesday, The Guardian newspaper said bankers had reported the donation to the Crime Agency as potentially laundered money. Farage has claimed the money was a personal gift, he received it before being elected to parliament and, therefore, it does not breach parliamentary rules. “I have done nothing wrong. I have not broken the law in any way at all. I have not misused public money,” Farage said on Tuesday. Separately, an investigation by The Sunday Times this week found that Farage received donations from convicted fraudster, cryptocurrency entrepreneur and longtime ally George Cottrell for security and staffing before the 2024 elections.
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