Farage seeks August 6 date for by-election which will be boycotted by rivals

Nigel Farage wants the by-election in Clacton to take place on the earliest date possible, on August 6.

Reform UK said it will propose that date when it launches the parliamentary process to trigger the contest on Thursday.

However, it is unclear whether it can happen that soon, as the House of Commons library sets out that a by-election cannot take place for at least 21 working days after a writ is issued, with this Friday counting as day one.

Mr Farage has said he wants a “people versus the establishment” fight in the Essex seat after coming under scrutiny about undeclared gifts and financial support before he was first elected.

After quitting as an MP on Wednesday, he looks set to compete against a comedy candidate with a bin on his head as the main Westminster parties are boycotting the contest.

A Reform spokesman said: “Reform UK will move the writ tomorrow morning, and we are proposing a by-election on 6 August.”

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