Nigel Farage’s resignation ‘stunt’ backfires as parties refuse to stand in ‘fake and pathetic’ by-election

Nigel Farage’s resignation stunt appears to have backfired as all the major political parties have said they will boycott the “fake” by-election he has forced.

The Reform leader, who was being investigated for failing to declare a £5 million donation, announced that he was resigning as an MP yesterday afternoon.

As scrutiny of his finances mounted, Farage said he would allow “the people of Clacton” to judge his behaviour and decide his fate, rather than the Establishment.

This means that the parliamentary watchdog’s investigation into whether Farage should have declared the £5 million donation from Christopher Harborne will be paused while the by-election takes place.

In response, Labour, Lib Dems, the Greens, the Conservatives and Restore Britain have all said they will only stand in a “real by-election” in Clacton, which could be forced if the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner finds that Farage breached parliamentary rules by not declaring the money.

The only candidate who will be standing against Farage in Clacton will be comedian Joe Harvey, who runs in elections under the pseudonym Count Binface.

Labour called the by-election “pathetic” and said it would not “indulge it”.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: “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.”

The Lib Dems have urged the Government to block Farage’s resignation until an investigation is complete, saying his constituents need “all the facts” before they can decide whether they still want him as their MP.

However, if the by-election does go ahead, Lib Dem leader Ed Davey called on “all parties to stand aside and refuse to give oxygen to Farage’s vanity project”.

The Greens said they will not stand “in this political circus of a by-election”. 

The spokesperson added “We have no intention of helping to legitimise a by-election that appears designed not to serve local residents but to serve Nigel Farage’s personal political ambitions”. 

Rupert Lowe, the leader of hard-right party Restore Britain, said his party will stand in a second by-election after the investigation into Farage’s finances has been concluded.

Lowe said: “We are not going to participate in a Reform-sponsored media circus over the summer months that is designed to puff up Farage’s ego and deflect away from wholly fair questions over why he has concealed such vast and irregular financial donations.”

Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward