Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has announced that he will resign as MP for Clacton-on-Sea and stand again in the by-election that follows. In a statement today, he said that the people of Clacton should be the ones to judge his integrity - not the media, the Westminster establishment or his political enemies.
He described the contest as “a people versus the establishment by-election” and “a chance to stick two fingers up to the entire establishment”.
Farage’s decision came after weeks of attacks over his finances, a renewed parliamentary standards investigation, and an intolerable breach of his family’s privacy.
“Let me be absolutely clear: I have done nothing wrong”, he said. “I have not broken the law in any way at all. I have not misused public money.”
He also defended his record in business, arguing that Britain needs more leaders who understand how to make money, run companies and employ people. “Making money is not a crime”, he said. “Do we want leaders who know how to make money? Do we want leaders who have run businesses, employed people and understand how the world works?”
Farage explained that his decision to resign and let the people of Clacton pass judgement came after years of physical and verbal attacks, repeated threats to his safety and an establishment campaign to bring Reform UK down.
But Farage said the final straw was The Times publishing a photograph of his daughter’s home. “I will not tolerate intimidation of my family”, he said. “I will not tolerate the location of where they live being revealed.”
Farage also accused Labour of changing the rules to damage Reform UK, from trying to cancel local elections to lowering the voting age and changing mayoral voting rules.
“It seems to me that the establishment has now decided that they can’t beat us fairly, so they’ve chosen to use foul means”, he said.
Farage made clear that he intends to fight and win the upcoming by-election in Clacton, vowing: “I will fight to continue the political revolution that Reform has started.”
He ended with a stark message to the voters of Clacton: “If I win, you win. Because if I lose, they win. And we will never, with the two old parties, get the type of fundamental change that we need to fix broken Britain.”
He described the contest as “a people versus the establishment by-election” and “a chance to stick two fingers up to the entire establishment”.
Farage’s decision came after weeks of attacks over his finances, a renewed parliamentary standards investigation, and an intolerable breach of his family’s privacy.
“Let me be absolutely clear: I have done nothing wrong”, he said. “I have not broken the law in any way at all. I have not misused public money.”
He also defended his record in business, arguing that Britain needs more leaders who understand how to make money, run companies and employ people. “Making money is not a crime”, he said. “Do we want leaders who know how to make money? Do we want leaders who have run businesses, employed people and understand how the world works?”
Farage explained that his decision to resign and let the people of Clacton pass judgement came after years of physical and verbal attacks, repeated threats to his safety and an establishment campaign to bring Reform UK down.
But Farage said the final straw was The Times publishing a photograph of his daughter’s home. “I will not tolerate intimidation of my family”, he said. “I will not tolerate the location of where they live being revealed.”
Farage also accused Labour of changing the rules to damage Reform UK, from trying to cancel local elections to lowering the voting age and changing mayoral voting rules.
“It seems to me that the establishment has now decided that they can’t beat us fairly, so they’ve chosen to use foul means”, he said.
Farage made clear that he intends to fight and win the upcoming by-election in Clacton, vowing: “I will fight to continue the political revolution that Reform has started.”
He ended with a stark message to the voters of Clacton: “If I win, you win. Because if I lose, they win. And we will never, with the two old parties, get the type of fundamental change that we need to fix broken Britain.”
Watch Nigel Farage’s full statement here:
