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Farage announced that he will resign as MP for Clacton and seek a fresh mandate through a by-election amid growing scrutiny over his political funding.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage (Reuters)
UK’s far-right leader Nigel Farage on Tuesday announced that he will resign as MP for Clacton and seek a fresh mandate through a by-election amid growing scrutiny over his political funding.
The Reform UK chief said, “I’ve decided that the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions”. He also insisted that he had done nothing wrong and wanted to fight a “people versus the establishment by-election”.
“I will fight to win. I will fight to continue the political revolution that Reform has started,” he said.
If I lose, they win. If they win, you lose.If you lose, Britain will forever be broken and nothing will change. We will prevail.
My message to the people of Clacton. 👇 pic.twitter.com/j9LCX2v0Dw
— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) July 7, 2026
Funding Questions Surrounding Farage
Farage has been under investigation from Parliament’s standards commissioner since May after not declaring a £5 million (Rs 63.5 crore) gift he received from British-Thai cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne before he became an MP, according to the BBC.
The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards launched an inquiry in May, which was called by opposition parties, after Farage did not declare the donation. The Reform UK leader has maintained that the money was a personal, non-political gift and therefore did not need to be registered.
Parliament’s rulebook says newly-elected MPs have to declare gifts or benefits, including accommodation, received in the 12 months before their election that relate to their “parliamentary or political activities”. However, there is an exemption for gift and benefits that are “purely personal”.
He also claimed the investigations were being used as a “political tool” and he did not want to be “judged” by the media. In his statement, Farage said the upcoming by-election would give voters the chance to “stick two fingers up at the entire establishment”.
However, outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described it as a “desperate stunt”, adding: “It’s obvious why he is doing it. He is up to his neck in sleaze.”
About the Author
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int…Read More
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