Nigel Farage has triggered a by-election because he “senses that he is in real trouble” over donations and cash he has accepted, a cabinet minister has said.
The Reform UK leader said he will quit as an MP on Tuesday to fight a “people versus the establishment” by-election in his Clacton constituency.
He is facing a parliamentary probe over support provided to him by convicted fraudster George Cottrell and is also already under investigation over a £5million gift from Thai-based crypto-billionaire Christopher Harborne.
The donation from Mr Harborne was reported to the National Crime Agency by bankers who were concerned it could have been laundered money, the Guardian reported overnight, putting further pressure on Mr Farage.
Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis, who is currently at the Nato summit in Turkey, said: “This is clearly a stunt from Nigel trying to get in front of the concerns that have been expressed about him accepting £5million.
“We’ll see what the standards commissioner rules.
"My sense is he understands the strength of feeling, which I’ve actually interestingly felt bottom up in my constituency. I think he senses that he is in real trouble and has taken action to try and get in front of that.
“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."
All of the major political parties have said they will not put forward candidates in the by-election. Green Party leader Zac Polanski said his party would have nothing to do with what he called a “political circus”.
So far Count Binface, a self-described "independent space warrior" with a bin for a face, is the only contender to say they will challenge Mr Farage.
Reform is expected to move the writ in Parliament on Wednesday to obtain a date for the poll.
Polling expert Professor Sir John Curtice said the forthcoming by-election could turn out to be a damp squib after other major parties said they will not contest the vote.
Asked whether he thinks Mr Farage’s resignation is a “gamble that will pay off”, he told BBC Radio Scotland’s Breakfast programme: “Well, it depends on what you think he’s trying to achieve.
“I think certainly his hope that he would have a by-election in which he would be taking on all of the other political parties, that therefore it would be quite a very substantial political circus that would receive a great deal of attention, it looks as though that’s not going to happen, because it’s a bit like somebody saying, ‘come on, let’s go and play football’, but then none of the other kids are willing to play."
He added: “It does mean he’s got himself back in the headlines. Reform are still ahead in the opinion polls, but with the slight boost for Labour in the wake of the resignation of Keir Starmer, and the fact that support for Reform has been edging down slowly. He would be hoping that the publicity will help to push him up.
“But this second thing, however, and I think this is one of the risks he’s taken, is that given he is saying I want the people of Clacton to judge my actions, and particularly two controversial sources of support that have been the subject of recent media attention – presumably he’s going to be willing to talk about this during the by-election.”
Mr Farage is under investigation for the £5million gift he received from Christopher Harborne and faces another probe over support provided by Cottrell.
His resignation will mean Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Daniel Greenberg’s investigation is suspended – but it will be resumed if Mr Farage wins and comes back to Parliament.
Aristocrat Cottrell, 32, reportedly recruited and paid three staff to work on Mr Farage’s social media before the general election, and has continued to allow him to use a five-storey Georgian property he rented near Buckingham Palace.
Under the Commons’ rules, new MPs are required to register any gifts worth more than £300 they received in the previous 12 months, except where the gift “could not be reasonably thought by others” to relate to their political activities.
Zia Yusuf insisted Mr Farage was not attempting to evade questions by calling a by-election amid scrutiny over his finances.
The Reform UK’s home affairs spokesman said his boss had not given evidence to a parliamentary standards investigation about the £5 million gift, nor had answered questions about support he had received from long-time ally Cottrell since that story broke.
Mr Yusuf told the BBC: “Nigel will answer those questions, that is clear. He’s already said that he will.
“The reason that he has made the decision that he has is because the most serious sanction that parliamentary standards can impose is, of course, a suspension long enough such that a parliamentary by-election would be called if there was a recall petition.
“So what he has done is say: ‘Let’s go directly to that ultimate source of truth.’
“I know a lot of people in the establishment are uncomfortable with that, because for somebody to do what Nigel has done, whether you like him or not, it takes courage, and that’s obviously a word that can’t be associated with almost anybody in politics these days, sadly.”
