Nigel Farage mocked as he is sworn in as MP for second time
MPs groaned and laughed at the Reform leader during his swearing-in ceremony
MPs groaned and heckled Nigel Farage as he was re-sworn in as the MP for Clacton yesterday.
Farage returned to Parliament yesterday after forcing a by-election in his constituency when he resigned as an MP on 7 July.
The Reform leader triggered the by-election amid mounting scrutiny over an undeclared £5 million donation he received from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne.
As Farage entered the Commons chamber flanked by Reform deputy leader Richard Tice and Reform MP Andrew Rosindell, MPs groaned.
After the Commons Speaker, Lindsay Hoyle called for the MP who “wants to take his seat” to come forward, one MP joked “who is it”, prompting laughter across the Commons.
After Farage had taken the oath and been sworn in, Conservative MP for Hinckley and Bosworth Luke Evans said “until the next by-election”.
The Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Daniel Greenberg resumed his investigation into Farage’s £5 million gift hours after he was re-elected as Clacton’s MP on 13 August.
If the standards commissioner finds Farage has broken Parliamentary rules, he will refer the case to the Commons Standards committee.
If the standards committee of MPs then recommends a sanction of more than 10 days of suspension from parliament, Farage could end up facing a second by-election.
After being sworn in, Farage told GB News that he planned to spend less time in parliament and would be leaving more Westminster work to [the Reform deputy leader] “Richard Tice and the gang” while he goes on a tour of the country.
Farage also claimed he was “constantly under investigation” and refused to answer a question about the prospect of a second by-election.
Responding to Farage having been sworn in, a Labour spokesperson said: “Farage’s summer circus might be over, but the questions about his dodgy finances haven’t gone away.
“Now he’s back in Parliament, he should drop the excuses, come clean and finally take some responsibility. Fighting a bin didn’t clear his name – it just proved he had so much more to hide.”
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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