Party leaders call Farage resignation 'desperate stunt' and brand by-election ‘distraction’ from finances row
A string of party leaders have described Nigel Farage’s resignation as MP for Clacton as a political stunt aimed at distracting the public from a row over his finances after the move triggered a by-election.
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Farage sensationally quit as MP for Clacton today and vowed to fight a "people versus establishment" by-election in the Essex constituency.
It comes as the Reform leader faces a parliamentary standards investigation over a £5 million gift from Reform donor Christopher Harborne before becoming an MP, and a potential further probe after reports of undeclared funding for security and staffing in the year before he was elected, provided by long-term ally George Cottrell.
Speaking at a Nato summit in Ankara, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer accused Farage of a "desperate stunt" to avoid scrutiny of his finances.
He said: "This is a desperate stunt from Nigel Farage and it's obvious why he's doing it - he is up to his neck in sleaze.
Read more: What chance does Farage have of winning Clacton by-election?
"Politics should be about improving the lives of millions of people, not about personal gain, not about hiding dodgy donations, and I think the public will see this for exactly what it is."
A spokesperson for Prime Minister-in-waiting Andy Burnham said the by-election triggered by Farage was a “gimmick” to distract from the row about the Reform UK leader’s finances.
They said: “This is a gimmick designed to distract from serious allegations about Farage’s funders.
“What really matters in politics is how we can change Westminster to take power for communities and bring it back to people to make life more affordable for them.”
Reacting to Farage's statement, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said Farage was having a “hissy fit” and “cracking under the pressure”
§'There shouldn’t be a by-election on his terms,” the Conservative leader told the Politico Live event.
“What there should be is a by-election if the investigation finds him guilty. Those are the rules.”
If I lose, they win. If they win, you lose.
— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) July 7, 2026
If you lose, Britain will forever be broken and nothing will change. We will prevail.
My message to the people of Clacton. 👇 pic.twitter.com/j9LCX2v0Dw
She said the Clacton MP should “man up and answer some questions” instead of triggering an “ego by-election”.
Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe called the by-election a distraction from the funding row and slammed it as a "mockery of our entire democratic process."
The Great Yarmouth MP, formerly of Reform, posted on X: “He should have declared that five million pounds. He knows it. We all know it.
“Now he is going to weaponise a by-election to distract from that. This is going to cost the taxpayer a fortune. A quarter of a million pounds.
“Eye-watering sums of money. Think about what that money could do for the people of Clacton. Will Farage fund it out of his own pocket?“Because he bloody well should.”
Green Party leader Zack Polanski said Farage was “a grifter brought down by his own grifting”.He said: “Nigel Farage is once again trying to con the public with this stunt – trying to duck the fact that his history of taking dodgy donations is finally catching up with him.
“This is not Nigel Farage vs the establishment but the establishment’s man against truth, honesty and decency.
“As much as he now protests he is the victim of a so-called smear campaign against him, the truth is that he is a grifter brought down by his own grifting.“
He has never been a man of the people, but a representative of the wealthy and the establishment.“We need to take big money out of politics with a cap on political donations, and state funding for political parties so they’re not in the pocket of the wealthy and powerful.”
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called for Nigel Farage to fund the Clacton by-election himself.
He said: “Nigel Farage has spent his whole life dodging responsibility for his actions. This new stunt is his latest attempt to escape consequences for his biggest grift. We won’t let him.“We have just sat through a self-obsessed diatribe delivered by a Temu Trump who seems to think he is sat in the Oval Office.“
He has done nothing for his constituents and instead focused on lining his own pockets. The people of Clacton deserve better than a rubbish Trump tribute act.“It would be a crime to waste taxpayers’ hard-earned cash on this Farage vanity project. He should pay for it himself out of the millions he’s grifted.”
Farage has said Reform UK will foot the bill for the Clacton by-election and that he had written to the council and would contact the Chancellor with an offer to cover costs.
He posted on X: “I have spoken to the CEO of Tendring District Council.
Reform has offered to cover the cost of the by-election. I will be writing to Rachel Reeves later today with the same message.
“Given that we asked for this by-election in the first place, it’s only right that we pay for it.”
The Reform UK leader announced he would quit and trigger a by-election on Tuesday, amid mounting pressure over unregistered donations of cash and support.A by-election in Clacton could cost more than £200,000.
The limit set for the constituency in 2024, when Mr Farage was voted in as the MP, was £237,422.