By Raúl Bobé
London, (EFE).- Nigel Farage, leader of the right-wing populist party Reform United Kingdom, announced on Tuesday his resignation as a Member of Parliament to run again in a special election in his district and reaffirm the electorate’s support following several funding scandals.
“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,” said the 62-year-old politician at a press conference.
“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,” he added.
Farage said that he will run for re-election, fight to win, and continue the «political revolution” initiated by his party.
Farage stated that he wanted to leave his political future in the hands of the people in his constituency, rather than the media, which follows the revelation on Sunday that he had failed to declare to Parliament donations received from George Cottrell, a British aristocrat who was convicted in the United States, which could constitute a violation of House rules.
Following calls from some parties for a parliamentary investigation into the donations, Farage insisted, «I have done nothing wrong.
“I have not broken the law in any way at all. I have not misused public money.»
A few weeks ago, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced his resignation. On Tuesday, he said that Farage’s decision to call a snap election was a desperate move, as he is in over his head in a corruption scandal.
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said that Farage had acted out of ego and suggested that voters in Clacton-on-Sea would disapprove of their representative wasting their time over a tantrum.
Farage’s gamble
With this decision, Farage, who is leading the polls as the favourite to become prime minister ahead of the upcoming 2029 general election, is likely seeking to test his electoral support amid the scandals and see to what extent they might affect him.
“If I lose, they win. If they win, you lose. If you lose, Britain will forever be broken, and nothing will change. We will prevail,” he added.
During his appearance, he also denounced years of “harassment” by the press, both personal and directed at his close associates, and said he will not tolerate the intimidation of his family.
According to a report in The Sunday Times, Cottrell, who served an eight-month sentence in the US for wire fraud after pleading guilty in 2017, provided financial and in-kind support to Farage in the year leading up to his election as a Member of Parliament on Jul. 4, 2024.
The support would include hiring and paying for security personnel, as well as staff to manage his social media accounts ahead of the election. It would also allow him to use a five-story property in London located near Buckingham Palace that Cottrell had been renting.
Farage was already facing another parliamentary investigation before the Cottrell case came to light, having failed to inform the House about a «gift» of 5 million pounds (5.8 million euros) from cryptocurrency magnate Christopher Harborne before his election.
British electoral rules require MPs to declare certain donations and benefits related to their political activity, including those received in the 12 months before their election.
Specifically, they must register gifts exceeding 300 pounds (401 dollars) received during that period, unless such gifts «could not reasonably be considered» linked to their political activity.
Following Farage’s resignation, the investigations have been suspended pending the outcome of the election, but would resume if he were to be re-elected.
According to British media reports, the Clacton by-election could be held as early as Thursday, in early to mid-August. Such an election can cost over 200,000 pounds (234,000 euros), but Reform UK has offered to cover the cost. EFE
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