Labour MPs have been mulling over whether they can block Nigel Farage’s by-election in Clacton after the Reform UK leader dared the political establishment to take him on at the ballot box.
Mr Farage, who resigned as the MP for Clacton yesterday, set out his stall for why voters in his seaside seat should decide his political future.
He said: “I’ve decided that the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions.”
However, Mr Farage could be blocked from triggering a by-election after MPs last night held talks to amend the motion which formally sets the date for a snap contest.
“Farage should be forced to stay in his seat until the parliamentary standards commissioner’s investigation is completed,” one Labour MP told The Times.
A second added: “If Farage resigns, wins the by-election and then is suspended by the standards commissioner, we’d potentially have two contests, which is a huge waste of taxpayer money. Let him face the voters when they know the facts.”
MPs could prevent a by-election taking place in Clacton when Reform UK Chief Whip Lee Anderson looks to “move the writ”.
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle is obliged to put the question to MPs, with a vote in agreement making the motion an Order for the Speaker.
The Speaker is only then able to issue a Warrant to the Clerk of the Crown, who sends the writ to the returning officer.
Announcing his intention to trigger a by-election, Mr Farage said: “This will be a people versus the establishment by-election.
“It’s a chance to stick two fingers up to the entire establishment, to frankly tell them where to go.”
Reform UK figures have also railed against the main parties for failing to field candidates, accusing the so-called establishment of “bottling it”, “chickening out” and being “cowards”.
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ANALYSIS: ‘I’ve crunched the numbers on the Clacton by-election – here’s what it means for Nigel Farage,’ Sir John Curtice writes for GB News
Mr Farage has seemingly been quiet in the last few weeks. Some were speculating that perhaps he was losing his appetite for the fight, as media stories about his sources of funding began to multiply.
Meanwhile, his party’s lead in the polls has narrowed somewhat as a result of the modest boost that Labour have enjoyed since Sir Keir Starmer announced his resignation.
But in declaring his decision to resign as the MP for Clacton Mr Farage has once again demonstrated his remarkable ability to steal the limelight.
It ensures that the arrival of Andy Burnham in Downing Street will not be the only political story filling the political void during the quietude of the August holiday season.
READ THE FULL EXCLUSIVE ANALYSIS FOR GB NEWS HERE.
‘Good luck to him!’ Defence Secretary issues message of support to Count Binface ahead of Clacton by-election
The Defence Secretary has issued a message of support to Nigel Farage’s sole competitor ahead of the Clacton by-election.
Commenting on the Reform UK leader’s resignation as MP, Dan Jarvis said: “I don’t think that has played out particularly well for him. I don’t think it’s been well received.
“I’ve had some quite interesting feedback from my constituents that this is just a complete circus and a complete waste of time.
“Looks like Count Binface will be sort of stepping forward, and good luck to him.”
Almost 50 per cent of British public oppose Nigel Farage calling by-election
Almost 50 per cent of the British public oppose Nigel Farage calling a by-election in his Clacton constituency.
Pollsters at YouGov have revealed that 43 per cent of Britons disagree with the plans, while 24 per cent back his bid to do so.
Who’s standing? All the political parties that have RULED OUT standing in ‘fake’ by-election against Nigel Farage
After Nigel Farage resigned as MP for Clacton yesterday, all the main political parties’ decisions on whether they were going to field a candidate dribbled out throughout the afternoon.
Labour and the Tories both refused standing candidates against the Reform UK leader, with Kemi Badenoch ripping into Mr Farage’s “hissy fit”.
Mrs Badenoch said: “We will be standing a candidate in the real by-election, which will follow the standards investigation into Nigel Farage’s fishy finances.
“We will not be standing a candidate in the fake by-election that Farage is causing to distract people from what is happening.”
Similarly, Restore Britain’s Rupert Lowe refused to field a candidate, adding a candidate will stand “when the investigations into Farage’s finances conclude as we all suspect they will”.
And, late last night, the Greens’ newest MP Hannah Spencer said: “It has been really difficult. We’re a party that does things differently… we do have internal democracy.
“We try to have healthy debates and discussions, and ultimately, we care really deeply about people in Clacton.
“And our local party have decided, as a whole, all of us, that we won’t be standing a candidate in the by-election.”
RECAP: Nigel Farage resigns as Clacton MP to trigger ‘people versus establishment by-election’
Yesterday, Nigel Farage resigned as an MP to stand in the upcoming by-election in his Clacton constituency in a
The Reform UK leader, who was first elected as the MP for Clacton in 2024, described the imminent vote in his seaside seat as “a people versus the establishment by-election”.
Mr Farage fell under pressure amid revelations about his personal funding ahead of the 2024 General Election, including a £5million gift from cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne.
The investigation, which was being conducted by Parliament’s standards commissioner Daniel Greenberg, could even force Mr Farage to hold a by-election if the complaint is eventually upheld.
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