Reform UK leader Nigel Farage on Tuesday said he would step down as a lawmaker to force a snap by-election in his own constituency.
The Brexit referendum figurehead, whose party is leading national polls, has come under pressure over reports about undeclared donations and funding.
What did Farage say about the by-election?
Farage, who represents the Clacton area, said he would stand again in a televised speech in which he railed against press intrusion and accused the establishment of trying to hinder his party.
“I’ve decided that the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions,” he said, referring to the southeast England constituency he has represented for two years. “This will be a people versus the establishment by-election,” he added in the statement.
Why is Farage under pressure over undeclared funding?
The populist right party leader spoke after reports about support from longtime ally and convicted fraudster George Cottrell.
Cottrell reportedly hired and paid three people to run Farage’s social media before the general election, and continued to let him use a five-storey Georgian property near Buckingham Palace.
A new MP must register all current financial interests, plus any registrable benefits received in the 12 months before their election, within one month of being elected.
Farage declared a trip to Belgium and a US domestic flight paid for by Cottrell, but did not declare the rest of the support that he received.
The ruling Labour Party has called for to begin a probe into the allegations. A separate inquiry has already been launched into a £5 million ($6.7 million) undeclared personal gift to Farage from Thailand-based cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne.
This is a breaking news story that will be updated…
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