Reform UK leader resigns as MP amid undeclared gifts investigations

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has announced that he will resign as the Member of Parliament for Clacton and contest the resulting by-election, while revealing that he is facing a second investigation by Parliament's standards watchdog over undeclared financial gifts.

In a defiant statement, Farage said the move was intended to let voters decide his political future rather than the media or the political establishment, The Guardian reports.

“I thought about it hard and I’ve decided today I will resign as a member of parliament for Clacton-on-Sea, thereby forcing a by-election … I’ve decided that the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions,” Farage said.

Describing the contest as a battle against Britain's political establishment, he added:

“This will be 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, and that is why I will be putting my name forward to stand in this by-election.”

Farage said he was not stepping down to pursue opportunities in the United States or return to the private sector, but because he refused to allow the media to determine his political fate.

“I will fight to win. I will fight to continue the political revolution that Reform has started and I would say this to you, the voters of Clacton: If I win, you win.”

Farage is already the subject of a parliamentary standards investigation after failing to declare a £5 million gift from billionaire cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne before the 2024 general election.

He disclosed that he is now facing a second inquiry concerning allegations that he received financial support from George Cottrell, a cryptocurrency trader, close associate, and convicted fraudster.

His resignation is expected to pause both investigations, although they could resume after the by-election if parliamentary authorities consider it appropriate. Should either inquiry ultimately result in Farage's suspension, it could trigger another by-election.

Farage won the Clacton constituency in the 2024 general election with a majority of around 8,400 votes, ahead of the Conservatives in second place and Labour in third.

However, political analysts suggest he could face coordinated tactical voting by progressive parties, as well as a challenge from the right by Restore Britain, the party led by former Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe.

By Vafa Guliyeva