Scottish Reform leader backs Nigel Farage after forcing by-election

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage | Gareth Fuller/PA Wire

Reform UK’s Scottish leader “stands four square behind Nigel Farage” after he resigned to force a by-election.

Malcolm Offord said he backs the Reform UK leader after he quit the Commons - likely temporarily - after coming under pressure over unregistered donations of cash and support.

Mr Farage said he is forcing a “people versus the establishment” by-election in protest at the scrutiny he has faced.

The Clacton MP insisted he had done nothing wrong as he accused Westminster opponents of using sleaze investigations as a “political tool” and the media of “haranguing” his family.

Reform UK leader in Scotland Mr Offord gave Mr Farage his full backing.

He said: “Let us be absolutely clear. We stand four-square behind Nigel Farage. In a democracy, the final verdict belongs to voters. Nigel has chosen not to hide behind process or allow others to define the argument. He is going back to Clacton, facing the public directly, and asking them to decide.

“Millions of people across Britain feel shut out by a political class that too often talks over them. They want representatives who are prepared to stand in front of voters, answer difficult questions and accept the judgment of the ballot box. That is exactly what Nigel Farage is doing.”

Mr Farage is already being investigated by the Commons standards watchdog over an undeclared £5 million gift from Reform donor Christopher Harborne before he entered Parliament.

He appeared to confirm he faced another probe over support provided by convicted fraudster George Cottrell.

Long-term ally Mr Cottrell 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.

Mr Farage is being investigated by the parliamentary standards commissioner over the a £5 million gift from cryptocurrency tycoon Mr Harborne, which he said was needed to fund the security he required as a result of multiple threats against him.

And he said that as a result of the Sunday Times’ investigation into Mr Cottrell, “yet another standards investigation is under way”.

In a video statement, Mr Farage said: “I have done nothing wrong. I have not broken the law in any way at all.”

He said: “Now I’ve decided that the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions. This will be a people versus the establishment by-election. It’s a chance to stick two fingers up to the entire Establishment to frankly tell them where to go, and that is why I will be putting my name forward to stand in this by-election.

“I will fight to win. I will fight to continue the political revolution that Reform has started, and I would say this to you, the voters of Clacton, if I win, you win, because if I lose, they win, and we will never with the two old parties get the type of fundamental change that we need to fix broken Britain.”

The resignation could be Mr Farage attempting to get ahead of the prospect of him facing a recall petition - and a by-election - if he was found to have broken parliamentary rules.

But it would not automatically end any probe into him from the Commons authorities. An investigation is suspended with his resignation, but resumes if he is re-elected.

If he is found to have breached the rules and suspended for more than 10 sitting days it could trigger a recall petition – potentially leading to another Clacton by-election.

SNP Westminster Leader, Dave Doogan said: “Nigel Farage is a dangerous chancer, and it was only ever a matter of time before one of his many scandals caught up with him.

“It is ironic that he claims to be a victim of the establishment, when he has in fact been caught out in a classic Westminster scandal.”

Mr Farage lashed out at the media in his statement following Times and Sunday Times investigations and a row with Sky News in recent days.

He said he had “never been angrier in my life” as he complained about media treatment of his family.

Mr Farage said: “For some reason, last week the editor of the Times newspaper decided to publish a picture of where my daughter lives.

“There is no public interest in my daughter whatsoever.”

He claimed she has had “broadcasters haranguing her”, including Sky News.

The Times published a photo of the house as part of an investigation into Mr Farage’s property portfolio.

Sky News said it had made “reasonable efforts” to contact Mr Farage with “legitimate questions to answer”.

“We acknowledge that Sky News was part of a broadcast pool operation outside a property linked to Mr Farage yesterday,” the broadcaster said.

“We approached the property off-camera on a single occasion, identified ourselves, and the occupant chose not to engage.”

Mr Farage comfortably won Clacton in 2024 with a majority of 8,405 and taking 46.2% of the vote.

It is not yet clear whether the other main Westminster parties will boycott the by-election, although Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey dismissed it as a “stunt”

Sir Ed urged the Government to block Nigel Farage’s by-election until after the conclusion of the standards investigation into the Reform UK leader.

“If this by-election does go ahead now, we are calling on all parties to stand aside and refuse to give oxygen to Farage’s vanity project,” he said.

“But the Government should just say no to Farage’s ego-trip and block his resignation until the Standards Commissioner has finished investigating him.

“The people of Clacton should have all the facts before they cast their votes.”

A spokesperson for incoming prime minister Andy Burnham called the by-election a “gimmick”.

Meanwhile, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch claimed Nigel Farage was "cracking under the pressure" given the scrutiny surrounding him.