Nigel Farage Resigns Seat and Calls By-Election Amid Gift Investigation
UK Reform Party leader Nigel Farage stepped down as MP for Clacton and announced a by-election, prompting all major parties to boycott the vote as they label it a self-servicing stunt.
Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform U.K. party, announced on Tuesday that he would resign his parliamentary seat for the Clacton constituency in east England and immediately stand again in a by-election. The move comes as an investigation continues into whether he failed to disclose a £5 million gift, which could breach parliamentary rules.
Farage told supporters in a livestreamed speech that the voters of Clacton should decide his fate, describing the contest as a "people-versus-the-establishment" by-election.
Within hours, the major political parties in Britain declared they would not field candidates, characterising the by-election as a self-servicing gimmick and opting to boycott the vote.
