Today, Nigel Farage made a dramatic exit from his position as an MP amidst escalating controversies surrounding his financial dealings. His resignation has prompted a by-election, with Farage urging the public to judge his conduct at the polls.
In an impassioned online speech, the leader of the Reform Party launched a fierce critique against the ‘establishment’ and media, declaring his intention to vacate his Clacton seat to pursue a new mandate from voters.
Expressing a sense of indignation, Farage claimed that he had “never been angrier” and described himself as the most maligned politician in the UK in recent memory. He disclosed that he is now subject to two investigations regarding alleged financial improprieties involving undeclared cash payments and support prior to his parliamentary tenure.
These inquiries spotlight accusations that his longtime associate, George Cottrell, a convicted fraudster dubbed ‘Posh George’, covertly financed Farage’s security and staffing needs during the year preceding his election, including providing access to a residence in Westminster.
Adding to the scrutiny, Parliament’s standards commissioner Daniel Greenberg is also examining a £5 million donation Farage allegedly received from cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne.
However, Parliamentary rules mean Mr Farage’s decision to resign his seat and trigger the by-election suspends the investigations, though it would restart if he is re-elected, potentially setting up a second by-election in the autumn or winter.
Mr Farage has denied any wrongdoing and claimed he is the target of an ‘stitch-up’ – a claim endorsed last night by US president Donald Trump.
In his lengthy and wide-ranging televised address he protested his innocence, saying he had ‘done nothing wrong … I have not broken the law in any way at all’.
‘Now I’ve decided that the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions. This will be a people versus the establishment by-election,’ he said.
‘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 … I will fight to win.’
The Reform leader lashed out at the ‘establishment’ as he announced he would step down from his Clacton seat and seek a fresh mandate from voters in Essex
Nigel Farage is under the heaviest pressure he has faced in his time as Reform leader following reports that long-term ally George Cottrell had provided undeclared funding for security and staffing in the year before he was elected
The Sunday Times reported this weekend that Mr Cottrell, who has a fraud conviction in the United States, provided funding for staffing and security, and the use of a London townhouse.
Critics have said that this should have been declared under Parliamentary rules in place at the time of Mr Farage’s election in 2024, under which new MPs were required to register any gifts worth more than £300 they received in the previous 12 months, except where the gift ‘could not be reasonably thought by others’ to relate to their political activities.
Mr Cottrell reportedly recruited and paid three staff to work on Mr Farage’s social media before the general election, and has continued to allow him to use a five-storey Georgian property he rented near Buckingham Palace.
If the probe finds against the Reform leader and suspends him from the Commons for more than 30 days he would be subject to a recall petition by voters, which could trigger a second by-election.
Labour and the Liberal Democrats have already demanded a parliamentary sleaze inquiry into the latest claims.
Mr Farage insisted his £5m gift from Christopher Harborne was given to him on an ‘unconditional basis’.
He criticised the Sunday Times investigation into his finances, saying: ‘Standards are now being used as a political tool.’
‘On the gift, it was given to me on an unconditional basis. I can do with that money exactly as I wish, but there is a much bigger reason why I’m going to need that money, and it’s simply this,’ he said.
‘For over 20 years now, I have been subject to constant demonisation by the press for daring to be outside the consensual view on many issues.
‘I’ve been attacked again and again. I am the most physically and verbally attacked public figure or politician of modern times.
‘Yes, you will know of some of the incidents, milkshakes thrown in my face, placards bashed over my head, but let me promise you, you only know about a fraction of the number of times that I’ve been assaulted.’
It came after he Mr Farage clashed with a Sky TV crew as he returned to Britain from the United States last night.
Mr Farage reacted angrily when asked whether it had been a mistake not to declare the gifts, saying: ‘You tell your bosses, you harass my family any more… serious consequences. That’s what your organisation has done this morning. Go away.’
Sky said it had not contacted anyone from Mr Farage’s family about the story.
But Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch laid into him in a speech this morning, accusing him of ‘hiding’ from the row and Reform of being ‘completely distracted by their constant scandals and personal dramas’.
Speaking at a rally in central London, Mrs Badenoch said: ‘What surprised me most was what he said, it was on Sky News, that he said this, where he was being asked questions, and then talked about Leveson.
‘He’s hinting at press regulation. For all of the criticism and the attacks – and I would even say abuse – that I’ve got from the press, I never once recommended us curbing our free press.’
She added: ‘We should be worried about a Reform government using government power to control the press.’
He did manage to win the backing of Donald Trump last night after his transatlantic trip. The US president, a long-term ally, appeared to echo his claim that he is the victim of an ‘establishment hit job’.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Monday, Trump shared a link to an article on The National Pulse website titled ‘They’re Running the 2024 Anti-Trump Playbook on Nigel Farage’.
The article accuses the UK media of giving far more coverage to ‘every gaffe, controversy, or disagreement’ by Farage and Reform, while ‘policy successes or growing voter support are frequently downplayed’.
Mr Trump personally called Mr Farage to congratulate him on his political success in achieving the removal of Sir Keir Starmer from No 10, The Times reported.