Nigel Farage resigns and vows to fight by-election amid pressure over finances
Nigel Farage has announced he will quit as an MP and then fight the upcoming by-election.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage announced he will quit as an MP and fight a by-election in an unprecedented step, after coming under intense pressure over unregistered donations of cash and support.
In a video statement, the Clacton MP said: “I have done nothing wrong. I have not broken the law in any way at all.”
He accused the media of harassment and vowed to fight a “people versus the establishment” by-election.
Mr Farage said: “I thought about it hard and I have decided today I will resign as a Member of Parliament for Clacton-on-Sea, thereby forcing a by-election, which should happen, I hope, in short order.
“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.
“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. I will fight to continue the political revolution that Reform has started.”
The Reform UK leader has faced calls for an investigation following reports that long-term ally George Cottrell had provided undeclared funding for security and staffing in the year before he was elected.
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.
Under the Commons’ rules, new MPs are 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 Farage is already facing a parliamentary standards investigation over a £5m gift from Reform donor Christopher Harborne before becoming an MP.
Mr Harborne is a Thai-based crypto-billionaire that hails from Mosborough, near Sheffield, and has a 12 per cent stake in crypto firm Tether. According to the Sunday Times Richlist, he is the wealthiest person from the North.
While Mr Cottrell reportedly is a key player in Tether.bet, which is an online bookmaker and casino, registered in Montenegro, which offers users large stakes in cash or cryptocurrency.
Last year, Mr Farage announced he wanted to “bring crypto in from the cold”. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in relation to the £5m gift, saying it is purely for personal use.
He repeated this today, saying: “It was given to me on an unconditional basis, I can do with that money exactly as I wish.”
He added: “You only know about a fraction of the number of times I’ve been assaulted.
“I am going to need security for the rest of my life and I cannot tell you how grateful I am to Christopher Harborne.”
Labour and the Liberal Democrats have called for both the Electoral Commission and the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards to investigate the support from Mr Cottrell.
Mr Farage said standards investigations by the parliamentary authorities are “now being used as a political tool”.
If found to have breached the rules, Mr Farage could face sanctions including a Commons suspension that could trigger a recall petition and a potential second by-election in his seat.