Updated ,first published
London: Britain’s far-right leader Nigel Farage has made a shock decision to quit parliament over media reports about his ties to wealthy donors – and said he will run in a by-election within weeks to prove he has public authority to stay in politics.
The decision means voters in his constituency will be asked to decide whether to keep Farage as their local member or reject him because of questions about donations he received from a billionaire investor and activist convicted of fraud.
But his move drew immediate derision from political opponents ranging from the Labor Party to the Conservative Party and the far-right Restore England, who dismissed the need for a by-election and said Farage should await an independent inquiry into the donations he received.
The result means no major party will field a candidate against him in his electorate of Clacton, north-east London, in moves aimed at preventing him from claiming a majority or a landslide victory if he wins.
Farage announced that he was outraged by the media’s intrusion into his personal life and said he was not wrong to receive help from his wealthy friends, saying parliamentary rules were not intended to restrict an MP’s private life.
After calling a press conference at 2pm in London on Tuesday (11pm AEST), the leader of the Reform UK party received live media coverage of his decision to test voter support in his seat.
The move is unusual in the Westminster system, where it is common for MPs to switch parties or become independents without testing their popular support in by-elections.
Although it could cost several hundred thousand pounds, Farage said Reform was prepared to pay for it.
After speaking for 14 minutes about his concerns about his privacy and media reports about the financial support he received, Farage announced the surprise move to put his fate in the hands of local voters.
He criticized the media for his reports and said they should not have any authority over his future.
“Why should they be the people who decide my fate, when, as I repeat, I have not done anything wrong,” he said.
“I thought hard, and I have decided today – today – I will resign as MP for Clacton-on-Sea, thereby forcing a by-election, which would be held, I hope, shortly.
“I have decided that the people of Clacton should be the judge of my actions. These will be the people against the introduction of by-elections.
“It’s a chance to hold two fingers up for the whole organization, to tell them clearly where to go.
“And that is why I will put my name forward to stand in this by-election. I will fight to win. I will fight to continue the political revolution that Reform has started.”
Farage could be formally investigated over a £5 million ($9.7 million) gift he received from Christopher Harborne, who lives in Thailand and is estimated to be worth billions of pounds.
He is also facing calls for a separate inquiry by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards into the support he received from George Cottrell, a luxury investor known as “Posh George”, who served a US prison term for money laundering.
Calling a by-election would not rule out any questions about donations, however, because the commissioner could choose to continue with the review of whether or not Farage is returned to the Commons.
“The inquiry into parliamentary standards continues whether you are in Parliament or not,” said Labor deputy leader Lucy Powell.
Based on the results of the last election and the current opinion polls, Farage would seem likely to retain his seat.
Farage won the electorate of Clacton in the 2024 general election and 46.2 percent of the vote, further edging out his nearest rival in the first-past-the-post system, which does not discriminate.
He had a clear lead over the Conservative Party candidate, who got 27.9 percent of the vote, and the Labor candidate, who got 16.2 percent.
The latest national opinion poll shows that the Reformation has taken place 24 percent of support among voters, ahead of the Conservative Party by 20 percent. A YouGov survey, conducted at the end of June, showed that Labor had 19 percent support.
Farage is vulnerable to a backlash from voters who don’t want a by-election, but his main right-wing rival, Restore Britain, is holding fire until the donation questions are settled. If the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner rules against Farage, the result could force him into a second by-election this year.
Return to Britain leader Rupert Lowe, who advocates the death penalty and forced migration of migrants, said he would not stand as a candidate in Clacton until an investigation was carried out.
“We will not take part in the Reform-sponsored media circus over the summer months which is designed to flaunt Farage’s personality and sidestep perfectly legitimate questions about why he has hidden large and unusual financial contributions,” he said.
“Farage can play with his toys for the next six weeks, but Restore Britain will continue to produce detailed policy papers, as we have been, setting out how we can fix our country.”
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch criticized Farage for his “enthusiastic resignation” and Prime Minister Keir Starmer called it a “desperate blow”.
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David Crowe is the Europe correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect through X or email address.
