Nigel Farage has announced he is stepping down as MP for Clacton, but says he will immediately seek re-election in the resulting by-election, framing the vote as a contest between "the people" and "the establishment".
The Reform UK leader made the announcement during a press conference on Tuesday, where he defended his handling of recent financial matters and insisted he had "not broken the law in any way at all" or "misused public money."
Farage said he wanted the people of Clacton to decide his future in Parliament.
"I've decided that the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions," he said.
"This will be a people versus the establishment by-election. It's a chance to stick two fingers up to the entire establishment."
He added: "I will fight to win. I will fight to continue the political revolution that Reform has started."
If I lose, they win. If they win, you lose.
If you lose, Britain will forever be broken and nothing will change. We will prevail.
My message to the people of Clacton. 👇 pic.twitter.com/j9LCX2v0Dw
— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) July 7, 2026
The move follows weeks of scrutiny over financial support Farage received before and after entering Parliament, including a reported £5 million (€5.85 million) gift from a Reform UK donor and separate funding for security and staffing from long-time associate George Cottrell, a convicted fraudster.
Under House of Commons rules, MPs must register gifts worth more than £300 received in the 12 months before entering Parliament if they could reasonably be linked to their political activities.
Farage is currently the subject of a parliamentary standards investigation into the declarations and has also been referred to the regulator over separate reported donations. Should he ultimately receive a suspension of 10 sitting days or more, it could trigger a recall petition that would also force a by-election.
The veteran politician, who won the Clacton seat at the 2024 General Election with more than 46% of the vote, argued that the investigations are being used for political purposes.
"I've really enjoyed the job of being an MP. The people, the constituency – it's an office that I genuinely, genuinely adore," he said.
"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."
"Over the last 10 years, I have financially done well, but that itself should not be looked upon as a crime."
Farage also referred to the undeclared £5 million payment as "a gift" and "the equivalent of a lottery win."
During the press conference, he also criticised the media's coverage of the controversy, saying the attention had extended to his family.
"I've never been angrier in my life," he said.
"For some reason, last week the editor of the Times newspaper decided to publish a picture of where my daughter lives."
"There is no public interest in my daughter whatsoever."
Farage claimed that parliamentary standards investigations are now being used as "a political tool" and suggested the controversy was part of a wider effort to undermine Reform UK, which has led many national opinion polls over the past year and emerged as a significant challenger to the traditional dominance of Labour and the Conservative Party.
His decision has already prompted a political response, with Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe signalling that his party is considering standing a candidate in the by-election.
Writing on X, Lowe said: "Farage has proven one thing today and one thing only – everything that he does is about one person. Nigel Farage."
He added that Restore Britain would announce its plans for the Clacton by-election later on Tuesday.
