Nigel Farage has sparked a by-election in his Clacton constituency as he struggles to overcome press questions about his finances. The Reform leader gave an angry press conference on Tuesday afternoon in which he claimed newspapers and mainstream political parties were using underhand tactics to undermine him.
“The establishment has now decided they can’t beat us fairly, so they’ve chosen to use dirty means,” he said, referring to a series of newspaper investigations into his wealthy backers. Farage said he was resigning from his seat in Clacton but would stand at the next election. “This is going to be a by-election of the people against the power,” he said, setting the tone for the race before it began.
The timing of Farage’s decision means a by-election could be held during the summer recess if the by-election decision is moved before the House of Commons adjourns on July 16. The Makerfield by-election took place just a month after the incumbent MP resigned. While by-elections can rarely be called when parliament is in recess, except in exceptional circumstances, they can be held even when the House is not in session, if the decision is moved before recess begins. In short, this means a coastal by-election in Clacton could take place as early as August.
Although Farage did not say so explicitly, he has called this by-election in an attempt to overcome the ongoing investigation into his affairs by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Daniel Greenberg, an independent lawyer who is an officer of the House of Commons.
A big benefit of these by-elections for Farage, if he wins, is that it will restore the declarations window required by the House of Commons authorities.
Farage has been in trouble in recent weeks over his alleged failure to properly declare millions of registered gifts and benefits he received in the 12 months before becoming an MP, as required by Commons authorities.
If his term as MP for Clacton resumes after a by-election later this year, the relevant window for declarations will be the latest and could therefore mitigate questions about his financial dealings ahead of the 2024 general election.
However, his re-election would not end the investigation that has already been opened by Greenberg and Farage could face a sanction if he is re-elected. The highest possible sanction would be a lengthy suspension that could then trigger a recall petition that would result in another by-election.
At the press conference on Tuesday, Farage repeatedly attacked the reporting of his finances. “Let me be absolutely clear, I have done nothing wrong. I have not broken the law in any way. I have not misused public money,” he said.
Farage will also be hoping that a by-election victory could have a Makerfield-style effect, consolidating his position as a prominent figure not only in the Reform party but on the British right as a whole.
Wary of criticism that the election will be a waste of public money, Farage has said that Reform UK will offer to cover the cost of the contest, which could run up to a quarter of a million pounds.
He is personally popular in the Clacton constituency and won nearly half the vote at the last election, exceeding Reform’s share of the national vote by a significant margin. The party has only grown in popularity since then and he is likely to win the contest by an increased margin as the country’s media descend on the city.
While Farage is likely to win the seat, he will face a strong challenge from opponents hoping to end his parliamentary career.
His decision to boost the contest in a bid to quell press questions about his receipt of multi-million pound gifts will be heavily criticized by other parties, as will his framing of the contest as a fight against the “establishment”.
The Conservatives came second in Clacton at the last election and the party’s combined resources could be marshaled in an attempt to undermine Farage’s theatrical move.
Meanwhile Restore Britain, the far-right challenger party set up by disgruntled former Reform MP Rupert Lowe, could stay in a bid to damage Farage.
We will have to wait and see if the other political parties come to any formal or informal agreement to stand aside or give up campaigning in order to give the stronger contender a better chance of defeating Farage. Any such deal could simply play into Farage’s claim that he is being stitched up by “stability”.
If his opponents decide to attack Farage over fairness, we could be about to witness something similar to the 1997 by-election in Tatton, where the other parties backed out in favor of independent candidate Martin Bell, who defeated Tory incumbent Neil Hamilton on an anti-sleaze ticket.
(Further reading: Is there any scandal that can stop Nigel Farage?)
