Reform UK leader Nigel Farage announced he will quit as an MP to fight a “people versus the establishment” by-election in protest at the intense scrutiny over unregistered donations of cash and support to him.
The Clacton MP insisted he had done nothing wrong as he accused Westminster opponents of using sleaze investigations as a “political tool” and the media of “haranguing” his family.
Mr Farage is already being investigated by the Commons standards watchdog over an undeclared £5 million gift from Reform donor Christopher Harborne before he entered Parliament and he appeared to confirm he faced another probe over support provided by convicted fraudster George Cottrell.
Long-term ally 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 being investigated by the parliamentary standards commissioner over the a £5 million gift from cryptocurrency tycoon Mr Harborne, which he said was needed to fund the security he required as a result of multiple threats against him.
And he said that as a result of the Sunday Times’ investigation into Mr Cottrell, “yet another standards investigation is under way”.
In a video statement, Mr Farage said: “I have done nothing wrong. I have not broken the law in any way at all.”
He said standards investigations by the parliamentary authorities are “now being used as a political tool”.
His resignation will mean Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Daniel Greenberg’s investigation is suspended – but it will be resumed if Mr Farage wins the by-election and comes back to Parliament.
If he is found to have breached the rules and suspended for more than 10 sitting days it could trigger a recall petition – potentially leading to another Clacton by-election.
Mr Farage lashed out at the media in his statement following Times and Sunday Times investigations and a row with Sky News in recent days.
He said he had “never been angrier in my life” as he complained about media treatment of his family.
Mr Farage said: “For some reason, last week the editor of the Times newspaper decided to publish a picture of where my daughter lives.
“There is no public interest in my daughter whatsoever.”
He claimed she has had “broadcasters haranguing her”, including Sky News.
The Times published a photo of the house as part of an investigation into Mr Farage’s property portfolio.
Sky News said it had made “reasonable efforts” to contact Mr Farage with “legitimate questions to answer”.
“We acknowledge that Sky News was part of a broadcast pool operation outside a property linked to Mr Farage yesterday,” the broadcaster said.
“We approached the property off-camera on a single occasion, identified ourselves, and the occupant chose not to engage.”
Mr Farage said he would not be “judged” by the media, adding: “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.”
He said Reform had offered to cover the cost – which could exceed £200,000 – as “given that we asked for this by-election in the first place, it’s only right that we pay for it”.
Mr Farage comfortably won Clacton in 2024 with a majority of 8,405 and taking 46.2% of the vote.
It is not yet clear whether the other main Westminster parties will boycott the by-election, although Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey dismissed it as a “stunt”.
He called on the Government to block the by-election until after the standards investigation had concluded but if it does go ahead now he urged other parties to stand aside “and refuse to give oxygen to Farage’s vanity project”.
Mr Farage’s rival, Rupert Lowe, leader of Restore Britain, said: “The people of Clacton do not need a media circus descending on their town over a busy tourist season because their MP has made a series of bad decisions.”
He said the party would not stand a candidate in the “unnecessary sham”.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski said: “Nigel Farage is once again trying to con the public with this stunt – trying to duck the fact that his history of taking dodgy donations is finally catching up with him.”
A Green Party spokesman said it was a decision for local members in Clacton whether to put up a candidate “but we are a political party – we contest elections”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Farage’s announcement was “a desperate stunt” from a man “up to his neck in sleaze”.
And Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said her party would not stand a candidate in the “fake” by-election.
She added: “We will be standing a candidate in the real by-election, which will follow the standards investigation into Nigel Farage’s fishy finances.
“We will not be standing a candidate in the fake by-election that Farage is causing to distract people from what is happening.
“We need to let that investigation run its course, and I think the reason why Nigel Farage has resigned is because he’s terrified that he’s going to be found to have done something wrong.”
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