Nigel Farage quits as an MP and vows to re-fight seat amid donation probe

Wed 8 Jul 2026 at 12:13am

Wed 8 Jul 2026 at 12:13am

Nigel Farage, the far-right political leader riding a surge of support in Britain, has announced he will stand down as an MP and re-contest his parliamentary seat.

It is major gamble that could end his political career and comes amid intensifying scrutiny of the 62-year-old Donald Trump-ally's finances and donations.

Speaking in London on Tuesday, local time, he said he would be triggering a by-election in his Clacton-on-Sea constituency and that he would be a candidate.

Mr Farage's unusual move could serve as a circuit breaker as he faces the biggest political crisis of his decades-long career.

He has been accused of failing to declare donations and other benefits in the months before he was elected to the Commons in 2024.

"I've decided that the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions," Mr Farage said, claiming the by-election would be "a chance to stick two fingers up to the entire establishment, to frankly tell them to go".

While Mr Farage denies any wrongdoing, he is being investigated by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner and has confirmed he received a £5 million ($9.63 million) "gift" from a Bangkok-based crypto billionaire.

Mr Farage founded and leads the right-wing, populist Reform UK party, which is surging in national opinion polls, although it has only eight MPs in the country's parliament.