He Aims to Run in By-Election
Nigel Farage delivering his statement.
© picture alliance/PA Images/Gareth Fuller
A non-declared million-pound gift has recently put the leader of the British right-wing populists in hot water. Now, he is going on the offensive. Is he making another political comeback?
The leader of the British right-wing populist party, Nigel Farage, has resigned his parliamentary mandate with the intention of running in a by-election. This was announced by the chairman of the Reform UK party during a press conference in London. Farage, a former champion of Brexit, had recently made headlines due to controversial donations.
“I have never been angrier in my life,” said Farage in an emotional speech, blaming the media for launching a campaign against him and his family. He claimed that his safety and that of his loved ones were at risk. Farage urged the citizens of the Clacton constituency in Essex to judge his actions. “I will fight to win.”
In the UK, MPs must disclose their secondary income and donations, including those received up to a year before their election. This requirement has led to an abundance of inquiries from journalists directed at Farage in recent weeks.
Farage’s Political Career Far from Over
Over the weekend, the “Sunday Times” reported that Nigel Farage had failed to properly disclose support benefits from his long-time associate George Cottrell. According to the newspaper, Cottrell, who has a fraud conviction, financed or organized security services and staff for Farage in the year leading up to his election to Parliament. Farage denies these allegations, asserting that he has followed all relevant regulations.
Furthermore, as revealed by the “Guardian,” the 62-year-old received a cash gift of five million pounds (approximately 5.86 million euros) shortly before his election as an MP, which he failed to declare. He claims it was a purely personal gift without conditions. This incident is currently under investigation by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner. In the worst-case scenario, Farage could face a temporary suspension from the House of Commons and an uncertain by-election. He has now preempted that.
Farage appears to have good chances for a comeback. His party, Reform UK, has been leading in the polls for more than a year, ahead of the ruling Labour Party and the opposition Conservatives. The success of his party is largely attributed to Farage personally. In the local and regional elections in England, Scotland, and Wales in May, the party won hundreds of mandates across the country, putting the Labour Party and current Prime Minister Keir Starmer in crisis.
The lead his party has over others even makes Farage’s entry into the government seat at 10 Downing Street after the next general election plausible.
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Not His First Departure
For the politician known as “Mr. Brexit,” this isn’t his first tactical resignation. Shortly after what he deemed a successful Brexit referendum in 2016, Farage stepped down as the leader of Ukip, only to later return to the spotlight as the head of the newly formed Brexit Party. This party was eventually renamed Reform UK. Farage also resigned as the party’s chair following the UK’s actual exit from the EU in Spring 2021. Just before the parliamentary election in July 2024, he then returned to the party leadership. (dpa/edited by phs)
