Nigel Farage: Why Reform UK leader's by-election 'stunt' won't get him off the hook

Facing a swirl of financial allegations, Nigel Farage unleashed a full frontal attack on the media as he quit as an MP to trigger a by-election.

He claimed there was a “media pile-on” against him as he insisted he had done nothing wrong.

In a shock statement, he announced he was standing down as the MP for the Essex seaside town of Clacton and would fight a “people versus the Establishment” by-election.

“It’s a chance to stick two fingers up to the entire Establishment to frankly tell them where to go,” he declared.

It comes as Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and Restore all said they will not stand a candidate in the by-election triggered by Farage, arguing it is an attempt to distract from the scrutiny over his personal finances and an investigation into undeclared gifts.

Mr Farage’s rival, Rupert Lowe, leader of Restore Britain, said his party would not stand a candidate in the “unnecessary sham”, while the Liberal Democrats 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 to keep him as an MP.

So far, the only person to express an interest in contesting the seat is Count Binface.

The local MP of Thanet in Kent was once Jonathan Aitken, the Tory Cabinet minister who famously vowed to fight "the cancer of bent and twisted journalism" with "the simple sword of truth and the trusty shield of British fair play".

The attacks on the media may well be the only similarity between the two cases and there is no suggestion that Mr Farage is heading for Mr Aitken’s fate.

He was jailed at the Old Bailey in 1999 for 18 months after admitting perjury and perverting the course of justice.

He had allowed aides of the Saudi royal family to pay his £1,000 hotel bill during a stay at the Ritz in Paris in September 1993.

As a defence minister at the time, he should not have been taking hospitality which might place him under an obligation.

When the Guardian newspaper obtained a copy of the hotel bill, Mr Aitken said his wife Lolicia had paid his part of it using money he had given her and so began his downfall.

Whether this is the start of a period of political woes for Mr Farage is not clear but he is facing a string of questions over financial links.

The Reform UK leader has faced calls for an investigation following reports that long-term ally George Cottrell had provided undeclared funding for security and staffing in the year before he was elected.

Mr Cottrell reportedly recruited and paid three staff to work on Mr Farage’s social media before the general election, and has continued to allow him to use a five-storey Georgian property he rented near Buckingham Palace.

Under the Commons’ rules, new MPs are required to register any gifts worth more than £300 they received in the previous 12 months, except where the gift “could not be reasonably thought by others” to relate to their political activities.

Mr Farage is already facing a parliamentary standards investigation over a £5 million gift from Reform donor Christopher Harborne before becoming an MP.

Labour and the Liberal Democrats have called for both the Electoral Commission and the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards to investigate the support from Mr Cottrell.

Mr Farage said standards investigations by the parliamentary authorities are “now being used as a political tool”.

His resignation will mean Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Daniel Greenberg’s investigation into the £5 million donation is suspended but it will be resumed if Mr Farage wins the by-election and comes back to Parliament.

Parties across the political spectrum have rejected of Farage’s triggered by-election, with Conservative leader Kemi badenoch describing it as a ploy to distract people from the investigation.

Both Labour and the Conservatives said they would not take part in the by-election and that any investigation into his finances should run its course.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Nigel Farage is engulfed in a sleaze scandal and he’s desperately trying to change the subject.

“It’s pathetic, and the Labour Party is not going to indulge it.”

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said her party would be standing a candidate in the “real by-election”, not the “fake by-election that Farage is causing to distract people from what is happening.”

When asked whether they would put a candidate forward for the by-election, a spokesman for The Green Party said it was a decision for members in Clacton whether to put up a candidate “but we are a political party – we contest elections”.

The Reform UK leader lashed out at the media in his statement earlier on Tuesday, following the Sunday Times investigation into his links with Mr Cottrell and a row with Sky News in recent days.

Mr Farage said he had “never been angrier in my life” as he complained about media treatment of his family, particularly his daughter.

The Reform UK leader said: “For some reason, last week the editor of the Times newspaper decided to publish a picture of where my daughter lives.”

The Times published a photo of the house as part of an investigation into Mr Farage’s property empire.

Sky News said it had made “reasonable efforts” to contact Nigel Farage with “legitimate questions to answer”.

“We acknowledge that Sky News was part of a broadcast pool operation outside a property linked to Mr Farage,” the broadcaster said.

“We approached the property off-camera on a single occasion, identified ourselves, and the occupant chose not to engage.”

Mr Farage said he would not be “judged” by the media, adding: “I’ve decided that the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions.

“This will be a people versus the Establishment by-election.”

However, the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner, a role renowned for its diligence and impartiality, is very unlikely to be swayed as he investigates Mr Farage.

His case will be judged on the facts rather than any popular backing from a by-election.

Media interest in Mr Farage is also only likely to grow given that there will now be the by-election in Clacton and the circumstances surrounding it.

Responding to Mr Farage’s decision, Kemi Badenoch accused him of having a “hissy fit” and “cracking under the pressure”.

She added: “There shouldn’t be a by-election on his terms.

“What there should be is a by-election if the investigation finds him guilty. Those are the rules.”

Outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “This is a desperate stunt from Nigel Farage.”

A spokesman for Prime Minister-in-waiting Andy Burnham said the by-election was a “gimmick” to distract from the row about the Reform UK leader’s finances.

Reform has offered to pay for the by-election which could cost around £200,000.

Mr Farage may be cleared of any wrongdoing by Parliament’s sleaze watchdog.

But if he is not he could be forced to resign which would trigger another by-election in Clacton.

A double by-election for the same seat would probably be a historic first.