Farage to resign as MP for Clacton as he rails against the media in televised speech

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has said he will resign his seat to force a by-election as he hit out at media coverage of his finances.

Farage said he had done “nothing wrong” amid continued questions about a £5m gift from billionaire Christopher Harborne and new reports about his friendship with a convicted criminal.

The Reform leader accused “the establishment” of using unfair means to undermine his party.

It follows a report in The Sunday Times about Farage’s relationship with George Cottrell, a convicted criminal, who is reported to have provided funding for security and staffing in the year before the MP was elected.

Farage said parliamentary standards investigations were being used as a “political tool” against him.

And he singled out The Times and broadcaster Sky News for threatening the security of his daughter, claiming the newspaper had published a photograph of where she lives.

He said he would force a by-election so that he could stand again, a contest he billed as the “people vs the establishment”.

In a statement to camera made without any journalists present, Farage said: “I will not tolerate intimidation of my family. I will not tolerate the location of where they live being revealed. I will not tolerate any of my family being endangered because what I choose to do in public life. So yes, you can ask – am I angry? Well, I’ve never been angrier in my life.”

He said the issue with his daughter had been the “final straw” and had caused him to assess his own future.

“I’ve thought about it hard and I’ve decided today I will resign as MP for Clacton-on-Sea, thereby forcing a by-election.

“I’ve decided that the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions. This will be a people vs the establishment by-election. This is a chance to put two fingers up to the establishment.”

Farage said he had “done nothing wrong” and had “not broken the law in any way at all”.

And he said he had been “subjected to constant demonisation by the press” which had made him feel unsafe.

At the weekend, the Sunday Times reported that Farage did not declare benefits including staff, security and housing provided by crypto-gambler Cottrell, who was convicted of wire fraud in the United States.

Farage is already the subject of a parliamentary standards investigation into the £5m he received from Harborne which he did not declare.

If found to have broken the rules on parliamentary finances, the Reform leader could face a recall petition. 

A spokesperson for Andy Burnham, who is expected to be the next Labour leader and therefore prime minister, described Farage’s speech as “a gimmick” to distract from serious allegations about funding.

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey tweeted: “Nigel Farage has spent his whole life dodging responsibility for his actions. This new stunt is his latest attempt to escape consequences for his biggest grift. We won’t let him.”

Green leader Zack Polanski tweeted: “Nigel Farage is a grifter. He always has been and he’s continuing to grift. He knew he was heading towards a by-election anyway so has pulled the trigger early. The people Vs the establishment?! Reform are literally part of the establishment.”