Leader of Reform UK party Nigel Farage on Tuesday stepped down from his seat in the UK Parliament and said he would contest a fresh election, arguing that the move would allow him to clear his name over allegations that he failed to declare millions of pounds in gifts from his wealthy allies.
Farage, a prominent ally of US President Donald Trump and a staunch opponent of outgoing UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, said he had done nothing wrong and denied any breach of law.
“I have done nothing wrong. I have not broken the law in any way at all. I have not misused public money,” Farage said in a broadcast statement, as per news agency AP.
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He said voters in his Clacton constituency in eastern England should decide on his actions.
“The people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions,” he said. “This will be a people versus the establishment by-election. I will fight to win.”
Donation allegations under scrutiny
Farage is facing questions over undeclared gifts, including a £5 million ($6.7 million) donation from Christopher Harborne, a British businessman based in Thailand who is involved in cryptocurrency.
Parliament’s standards watchdog is investigating the donation. Farage has maintained that the money was a personal gift used to pay for security and that it was received before he became a member of the House of Commons.
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Opposition lawmakers have also called for another investigation into donations linked to George Cottrell, an aristocratic crypto-gambling entrepreneur who previously served a prison sentence in the US for fraud.
The investigations could potentially have resulted in Farage being suspended or expelled from Parliament. By triggering a by-election for his Clacton seat, Farage is moving ahead of that process.
Even if he wins the re-election contest, the standards inquiry into his finances is expected to continue.
Political future under spotlight
The controversy surrounding Farage’s finances has raised questions about the future of one of Britain’s most influential political figures, with some observers previously viewing him as a potential prime minister after the next national election.
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His party, Reform UK, currently holds only eight seats in the 650-member House of Commons but has consistently led opinion polls ahead of the governing Labour Party and the main opposition Conservatives.
However, the party’s recent momentum has faced challenges. Reform UK emerged as the biggest winner in local and regional elections in May, which preceded the ouster of Prime Minister Keir Starmer by members of his own Labour Party.
The party has since lost three consecutive special elections that it had hoped to win, raising questions over whether its support may be weakening. The latest defeat came against Labour’s Andy Burnham, who is expected to succeed Starmer as prime minister within weeks.
Reform UK’s rise and Farage’s political strategy
Farage’s departure from Parliament could prove a major setback for Reform UK, a party whose growth has often been compared with the nationalist and anti-immigration politics associated with Trump’s movement.
Farage has built significant support by focusing on concerns over migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, a situation he has described as an invasion. Critics, however, accuse him of encouraging those concerns.
Rules over parliamentary gifts
The investigation into the £5 million donation is being led by Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Daniel Greenberg.
UK parliamentary rules require newly elected lawmakers to declare gifts worth more than £300 ($400) received in the previous 12 months, except when such gifts “could not be reasonably thought by others” to be connected to their political activities.
Farage has argued that the donation was not related to his political role and has rejected allegations of wrongdoing.
(With AP inputs)
