Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and Restore Britain have all confirmed they will not field candidates in the Clacton by-election called after Reform UK leader Nigel Farage resigned as the constituency’s MP.
Farage announced his resignation on Tuesday amid mounting scrutiny of his personal finances, saying he wanted the “people of Clacton” to judge his conduct in what he called a “people versus the establishment” contest. He said he intends to stand again and win the seat back.
Why Farage resigned
Farage is currently the subject of a parliamentary standards investigation over an undeclared £5 million gift from cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne, made before the 2024 general election. Under Commons rules, newly elected MPs must declare gifts related to their political activities in the year before election, though purely personal gifts are exempt, a distinction Farage says applies in his case.
Farage has described the gift as “the equivalent of a lottery win” and said the money was needed to cover his personal security costs, describing himself as the most physically and verbally attacked public figure / politician of modern times.
The resignation followed a Sunday Times report on separate financial support provided to Farage by long-time ally George Cottrell before the 2024 election, including funding for security staff and social media work. Farage told reporters he had “done nothing wrong” and had “not misused public money.” He also said press treatment of his daughter, after a newspaper published details of where she lives, was the final straw prompting his decision to quit.
The standards inquiry has been paused during the by-election but could resume if Farage is re-elected.
Cross-party reaction
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper described the by-election as a “political tantrum” and a stunt designed to distract from the finance row. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called it a “fake election,” while her party said it would not lend legitimacy to a contest she characterised as a distraction tactic.
The Liberal Democrats went further, urging the government to block Farage’s resignation altogether until the standards investigation concludes, arguing voters need “all the facts” before casting ballots. The Green Party said local members had independently decided not to contest the seat.
Reform UK rejected the criticism. Home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf said rival parties were “running scared,” while Farage argued the vote would let voters have their say directly on his record.
Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain, formed after Lowe was suspended from Reform, said it would sit out this contest but intends to stand if a second by-election is triggered once the standards investigation concludes, a scenario the party said it expects.
Who is standing
With all major parties abstaining, comedian Jon Harvey, running under his long-standing satirical persona Count Binface, has confirmed his candidacy. He has pledged a manifesto that includes capping the price of 99 Flakes ice creams at 99p.
Financial questions over the vote
By-elections are normally funded from central government, with a 2016 government estimate putting typical costs at over £228,000 — likely higher today. Farage said Reform had offered to cover the cost itself. Conservative peer and elections expert Lord Hayward said doing so would breach the legal principle that election administration must be kept separate from party campaigning, and that such a payment “would be illegal.”
Separately, it has emerged that Cottrell and his mother made substantial payments, an £80,000 loan and a £1 million donation, to a company and think tank linked to Reform deputy leader Richard Tice. Both payments were flagged to the National Crime Agency under its routine suspicious activity reporting scheme. Tice has asked the NCA to investigate whether it leaked his private financial details to the press, which the agency says it can neither confirm nor deny.
Farage won Clacton in 2024 with a majority of more than 8,000 over the Conservatives, with Labour third. Under parliamentary rules, the by-election could be held as early as August.
