‘He can spend the summer arguing with a bin’: Rachel Reeves mocks Farage as she clears the way for Clacton by-election
Nigel Farage’s decision to trigger a by-election will not be blocked by the Government
Rachel Reeves has confirmed she will accept Nigel Farage's resignation as MP - a move that is now set to trigger a by-election in his constituency of Clacton.
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Revealing her decision on Wednesday, the Chancellor said she won't stand in the way of Nigel Farage stepping down as MP for Clacton-on-Sea.
Branding the Clacton MPs decision to trigger a by-election "a farce" and a "desperate distraction", the Chancellor said Mr Farage can now spend "the summer arguing with a bin".
It comes after Sir Ed Davey called on the Chancellor to reject Nigel Farage's resignation, after a historic parliamentary rule gave her the right to reject his resignation.
Read more: Farage vs Count Binface? Parties rule out standing against Nigel in Clacton by-election 'circus'
Read more: Reform accuses National Crime Agency of leaking Tice's bank statements
I will accept Nigel Farage’s request to be appointed Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead.
— Rachel Reeves (@RachelReevesMP) July 8, 2026
It is a farce and a desperate distraction, and the people of Clacton deserve better.
But if he wants to spend the summer arguing with a bin, I won't stop him.
It comes after it was revealed that Nigel Farage's Reform UK cannot foot the bill for the Clacton by-election triggered by his resignation as an MP, the Government has confirmed.
Exclusively revealed by LBC, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said that such a move would be illegal after the party offered to pay for the poll following Mr Farage's announcement that he would stand down on Tuesday.
Under parliamentary procedure dating back to 1624, any MP who wishes to resign from their post must write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
The Chancellor is then required to appoint them either the Chiltern Hundreds or the Manor of Northstead by means of a written warrant, in the presence of a witness.
In a letter to the Chancellor on Wednesday, the Liberal Democrat leader called for a halt to "Farage's cynical ploy" by putting a stop to his resignation as MP for Clacton-upon-Sea, which would result in a by-election.
"The Chancellor has the power to stop Farage's cynical ploy. I've written to her this morning urging her to act," Davey said in a post to X accompanied by his letter to the Chancellor.
It comes after Reform's Richard Tice has accused the National Crime Agency of leaking his bank statements as several rows over funding engulf the party.
Mr Tice, the MP for Boston and Skegness, made the accusations while speaking to LBC's Tonight with Andrew Marr in a sensational day for British politics, when his party leader, Nigel Farage, said he would resign his Clacton seat.
Mr Tice has accused the NCA of having leaked bank statements to the Guardian, after a story which claimed that his company had received a loan from convicted fraudster George Cottrell.