Reform cannot pay for £200,000 Clacton by-election, Government says as it confirms move would be illegal
Nigel Farage's party offered to foot the bill for the election after he confirmed he will stand down as an MP and run again due to an ongoing row over his finances
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.
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The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has told LBC 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.
An MHCLG spokesperson told LBC: "To maintain the independence and impartiality of the electoral process, the law is clear that the cost of running elections must be met from public funds, and not by candidates or political parties.
"Individuals or groups can, of course, make voluntary donations to the Consolidated Fund in the normal way, but these are not ring-fenced to pay for specific costs or events."
Mr Farage had said earlier that Reform UK will foot the bill for the by-election.
He wrote on X to say 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.
He is facing 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.
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.
Labour and the Tories have confirmed they won't contest the byelection, which has been branded a stunt by many critics.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said her party would instead stand in a potential second by-election, which could be called if Mr Farage is found to have breached parliamentary standards following the £5m gift he received from crypto-billionaire Christopher Harborne.
Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe, leader of the Restore Britain party, accused Mr Farage of “making a mockery of our entire democratic process”.
The former Reform UK MP 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.”
LBC has approached Reform UK for comment.