Farage has been the MP for Clacton in Essex since July 2024. He stood and lost seven times in Clacton before being elected. Tuesday's resignation forces a by-election, which Farage is contesting, and he remains party leader of Reform UK.
It will be “the people versus the establishment,” says Nigel Farage, referring to the by-election expected to take place within three months.
Reform UK has offered to pay for the by-election in Clacton, according to Farage, writes The Guardian .
Met with criticism
Britain's outgoing Prime Minister and Labour Party leader, Keir Starmer, comments on the move:
"This is a desperate stunt by Nigel Farage. It's obvious why he's doing this - he's deeply involved in his own wrongdoing. Politics should be about improving the lives of millions of people, not about personal gain, hiding shady donations and I think the public sees through that," Starmer told Sky News.
If Farage wins the by-election in Clacton, the parliamentary investigation that the 62-year-old has been subject to in his role as a member of parliament will be resumed.
Did not report gift
Nigel Farage is being investigated for accepting a multi-million-pound gift from a crypto billionaire ahead of the 2024 general election, without reporting it. Gifts, benefits and forms of accommodation established twelve months before an election must, according to the House of Commons rulebook, be declared and reported.
Farage has also been questioned over a gift from an allied British financier who was sentenced to prison for fraud in the US in 2017.
"I have done nothing wrong. I have not broken the law in any way," he says in a live speech, accusing the British government and British media of trying to force him out with lies.
Allied with Trump
The criticized donations have been private, legal gifts, he claims.
Farage is an ally of US President Donald Trump and his party has topped many national opinion polls in the past year. The ruling Labour Party has been losing voters to the anti-immigration party, which has promised mass deportations and increased border security. Farage's supporters are driven by dissatisfaction with Britain's immigration policy, the NHS and the political establishment in general.
Farage was a driving force behind Britain’s exit from the EU.
