Nigel Farage has resigned as the Member of Parliament for Clacton, triggering a by-election in which he will stand as the Reform UK candidate. The announcement came during a hastily arranged press conference at 2pm on Tuesday, where Farage declared the contest would be 'a people versus the establishment by-election'.
Resignation and by-election triggered
Farage stated he would resign immediately, forcing a by-election in his Clacton constituency. 'Today I will resign as a Member of Parliament for Clacton-and-Sea, thereby forcing a by-election which would happen I hope in short order,' he said. He framed the upcoming vote as a chance for voters to 'stick two fingers up to the entire establishment'. Farage confirmed he would put his name forward, saying, 'I will fight to win, I will fight to continue the political revolution that Reform has started.'
Defence of conduct and donations
Farage insisted he had 'done nothing wrong' regarding donations received before the last general election. 'I have not broken the law in any way at all. I have not misused public money. And do you know, for the first two years of being an MP, my personal MP expenses are zero,' he said. He added that he had followed rules after obtaining 'good legal advice'. Farage described his £5m gift from Christopher Harborne as 'equivalent to a lottery win', arguing that successful businesspeople are needed in politics to fix the country's dire state.
Criticism of standards process and media
The Reform UK leader accused the standards process of being 'used as a political tool', claiming reporting around his donation was 'wholly inaccurate or indeed irrelevant'. He said he had been 'subject to constant demonisation by the press' for over 20 years and described himself as 'the most physically and verbally attacked public figure of modern times'. Farage also expressed anger at media treatment of his family, alleging The Times editor 'directly threatened' his daughter's security by publishing a photograph of her home, and that Sky News had 'wilfully and deliberately lied' about contacting his family.
Allegations of hacking and leaks
Without providing evidence, Farage claimed Reform UK had been subjected to illegal hacking and Whitehall leaks. He referenced Dominic Cummings' statement that 'Whitehall will break the law to stop Reform winning power', and said the party had evidence of 'illegally-obtained information, firm evidence of computer hacking and now leaks from government agencies'. He argued this was a distraction from the fact that the country needs a general election, despite opposition from Labour, the Conservatives, and the media.
