Offord says Farage by-election boycott is ‘establishment stitch-up’

Reform UK’s Scottish leader Malcolm Offord has described a decision by rival parties not to stand in the Clacton by-election as a “stitch-up”.

Nigel Farage triggered the by-election in the Essex constituency after resigning his seat amid increased media and parliamentary scrutiny of his finances.

All the other major parties have confirmed they will not put forward a candidate, meaning Farage is set to face smaller parties and independent candidates as well as Count Binface, who stood in the recent Makerfield by-election against Andy Burnham.

Appearing on BBC Radio Scotland, Offord said Reform’s opponents were “feart”.

He said: “Talk about an establishment stitch-up. That is what it is – no one wants to fight Nigel Farage.

“At the end of the day, this is an opportunity to knock Nigel Farage out of the ring. He is anti-establishment, he is anti the incumbent parties and he has been a thorn in their side for 25 years. This is an opportunity to knock him out the ring and they’re feart.”

Farage is currently being investigated by parliament’s standards commissioner for failing to declare a £5m gift from the Thailand-based billionaire Christopher Harborne that he received before becoming an MP.

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

At the weekend, the Sunday Times reported that George Cottrell, a convicted fraudster, provided the Reform leader with funding for security and staffing in the year before he was elected as well as use of a house near Buckingham Palace.

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

In a video statement on Tuesday, Farage said: “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.”

Chancellor Rachel Reeves today said she had accepted Farage’s request to be appointed Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead, one of the procedural devices used to allow MPs to resign their seat.

In a post on X, she said: “I will accept Nigel Farage’s request to be appointed Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead. It is a farce and a desperate distraction, and the people of Clacton deserve better. But if he wants to spend the summer arguing with a bin, I won't stop him.”

Responding to Offord’s comment, Lib Dem MSP Willie Rennie said: “For years, Lord Malcom Offord represented the establishment, but now he is pretending to be the champion of the anti-establishment.

“It is Nigel Farage who is stitching up the voters in Clacton by attempting to draw them into his own personal vanity project.”