Farage still faces scrutiny but has seized the agendapublished at 17:26 BST

17:26 BST

Chris Mason
Political editor

We are in for a split screen summer.

Andy Burnham, in all likelihood, on one side, as the new prime minister. And Nigel Farage on the other, as the contender in Clacton.

The two men who will shape more than most of the political tussle of the coming years, vying for attention in the coming weeks.

For Farage, a master of political theatre, this move - widely derided as a stunt by his critics - lets him seize attention and the initiative.

His rivals are now forced to respond. The tenor of their reactions so far suggest many, including Labour, may choose not to stand, avoiding - as they may see it - offering walk on actors at Reform’s pantomime.

A by-election was a possible consequence of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards’ inquiry anyway. This way the Reform leader embraces that challenge rather than having it forced upon him.

He is also attempting to frame it as a question about where power, sovereignty really lies - with the people, or with those he pejoratively labels "the establishment" - including those who have long been widely seen by many as part of the architecture of checks and balances at the heart of our democracy, such as the adjudicators of parliamentary rules and robust journalism.

Nigel Farage hasn’t escaped scrutiny about his conduct. But, not for the first time, he’s grabbed the agenda.

Brian Wheeler
Reporting from Westminster

It’s easy to see why Reform would make this offer, as a major criticism already being made of Nigel Farage’s bid to be re-elected is that it is a waste of public money.

What is less clear is whether it would be possible for Reform to do this.

The BBC understands Farage has spoken to the chief executive of Tendring District Council to offer to cover the costs.

But Parliamentary by-elections, like general elections, are paid for out of central government funds.

As to how much it costs to run a by-election, which involves paying for the ballot papers and a salary for the returning officer among other things, the most recent government estimate, from 2016, put it at £228,964.

The cost is certain to have gone up since then.

Lewis Adams and Jodie Halford
Reporting from Essex

Image source, Jodie Halford/BBC

People living in Nigel Farage's constituency have shared mixed feelings of frustration and support after he resigned as their local MP.

Graham Smith said he’d vote for Farage again, saying there had been a campaign against him.

"Everybody who can is trying to poison the political atmosphere against him," said Smith.

"I think he's a breath of fresh air in politics and I really don't care if he's got six houses, after all that's gone on in the Labour party and the Tory party in the past."

Image source, Jodie Halford/BBC

However, 18-year-old Frankie Ashworth said she disagreed with the Reform UK leader on most subjects.

"I don't really want my child to grow up in a country with Nigel Farage being a politician," she said.

"I hope the local people aren't stupid enough to vote him back in and no, I definitely won't be voting for him."

• Read more reactions from Clacton

Brian Wheeler
Reporting from Westminster

Rupert Lowe has said Restore Britain will not be standing in the Clacton by-election triggered by Nigel Farage’s resignation as its MP.

“We are not going to participate in a Reform-sponsored media circus over the summer months that is designed to puff up Farage’s ego and deflect away from wholly fair questions over why he has concealed such vast and irregular financial donations,” he says on X.

But, Lowe adds, Restore will be putting up a candidate in the second by-election, which he says will be held later this year when the Parliamentary authorities conclude their investigation into whether Farage broke the rules on declaring donations.

As we have been discussing, this second by-election is not guaranteed to take place.

If Farage is found to have broken the rules and suspended for more than 10 days, voters in Clacton would be given the option to have another by-election in a recall ballot.

Farage's bet is not risk-freepublished at 16:46 BST

16:46 BST

Professor Sir John Curtice
Polling expert

This is clearly an attempt by Nigel Farage to grab the political agenda.

He is challenging the other parties to demonstrate to the electorate that he should be re-elected.

In truth, I think he's making a pretty safe one-way bet. It is a constituency where he had an 18-point lead back in July 2024.

And although Reform is not as popular as they once were, they're still running at around 26% in the opinion polls, well above the 15% that they got in July 2024.

That said, it's not a move without risk. The tactic may fizzle out if his political opponents are not willing to play ball.

Meanwhile, if Farage is going to be fighting this by-election and saying "tell the establishment that all these enquiries are wrong", then presumably he will be willing to answer questions about the gifts from Harborne and Cottrell.

How much does a by-election cost the taxpayer?published at 16:34 BST

16:34 BST

By Tom Edgington

Nigel Farage’s decision to trigger a by-election in Clacton and stand as a candidate could end up costing the taxpayer over £230,000.

While local authorities are responsible for administering Parliamentary by-elections, it’s the UK government which covers the cost.

Each constituency has a maximum cost that returning officers (the people who oversee elections) can claim back in parliamentary elections, with Clacton’s limit set at £237,422 in May 2024., external

The budget includes things like: printing and delivering ballot papers, storing and providing security for ballot boxes and paying people to assist the returning officers.

Farage says Reform UK has offered to cover the by-election’s cost, but it is not clear if this would be accepted.

According to government figures released in 2016, the average cost of a by-election between 2010 and 2016 was £228,964., external

Farage was under investigation by Parliament’s standards commissioner when he announced his resignation as Clacton MP.

If the investigation was to resume and Parliament’s standards committee recommended a suspension of 10 days or longer, which would be voted on by MPs, voters could be given the chance to force another by-election.

It's possible that other parties could boycott Clacton by-electionpublished at 16:25 BST

16:25 BST

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

As we explained earlier, were he to win the Clacton by-election, Nigel Farage would still face an investigation by the Commons standards watchdog into whether he has broken parliamentary rules.

We cannot prejudge the outcome of that investigation, and Farage insists he did nothing wrong.

But if he were found to have broken rules, and received the harsh sanction of a lengthy suspension from the House of Commons, it is possible that a Clacton by-election would be triggered anyway – again with Farage as a candidate.

I am hearing from influential Labour figures this afternoon making the case internally that the party – indeed all major parties – should boycott this by-election, arguing that Clacton’s voters deserve full transparency before they have their say on his future.

There would be precedent for this: the 2008 Haltemprice and Howden by-election which Conservative David Davis forced in order to spark a debate about civil liberties went ignored by Labour and the Liberal Democrats.

Among the other parties which sat that by-election out was UKIP, then led by a certain Nigel Farage.

The BBC has been speaking to people in Clacton, the constituency at the heart of this by-election, about Farage's announcement today.

“I'm very disappointed because [Farage] promised all these things and he's gone back on his promise,” one woman says.

She adds: “Who can you trust in the government nowadays? You can't trust Labour, you know. We can't trust the Conservatives and now we can't even trust Reform, so I really don't know who I'd vote next time.”

One man says: “I'm absolutely gutted. I thought he was going to run the country and everything was going to be lovely. Don't know what to say other than that.”

Predicting by-election results can be a dangerous gamepublished at 16:12 BST

16:12 BST

Joe Pike
Political correspondent

Image source, PA Media

Nigel Farage is triggering a by-election to shore up his position and, as he said in his speech, to "continue the political revolution that Reform has started".

But his critics argue it is a stunt to distract from questions over his personal finances, and ultimately taxpayers will be forced to pick up the bill of holding a vote.

The Reform leader says "the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions", but there is no sign the party's four MPs who defected from the Conservatives will follow suit and let their constituents decide whether to keep them.

And for all Farage's talk of the importance of private sector experience in politics and having "leaders who know how to make money" (and many across the political spectrum agree with him), it is not money he has earned that has made headlines.

Instead it is the gifts and gifts-in-kind he received before entering parliament that journalists and Parliament's standards commissioner are assessing.

Nigel Farage won the Clacton seat in 2024 with a majority of 8,405 and 46% of the vote. His party's dominance in national opinion polls means he goes into this contest as the favourite.

But British politics has changed a lot in recent months, including the rise of Rupert Lowe's right-wing party Restore. What of Kemi Badenoch's Conservatives, who used to hold the seat? And will Andy Burnham's likely leadership of Labour give that party a bounce?

Predicting by-election results can be a dangerous game.

Reform wants this by-election to happen quicklypublished at 16:06 BST

16:06 BST

Chris Mason
Political editor, reporting from the Nato summit

Senior Reform sources are making it clear they want the by-election to happen as soon as possible - and will crack on with the parliamentary formalities to do so quickly.

This will mean Nigel Farage being given a Crown appointment which bars him from being an MP - either Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds, or Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead.

Once this has happened and the Clacton seat is vacant, the writ can be moved in the Commons to trigger a by-election.

Image source, PA Media

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch says Nigel Farage is "cracking under the pressure" because "he is finally having to face some scrutiny".

But she won't say if her party will contest the Clacton by-election sparked by his resignation.

Speaking at a Politico Playbook live event, she says the by-election will be a "waste of taxpayers' money", and suggests there could end up being two in the Essex seat, if the parliamentary standards commissioner finds against Farage in its investigation.

She suggests there shouldn't be a by-election while the investigation continues, adding that the Tories are exploring "every avenue".

Chris Mason
Political editor, reporting from the Nato summit

Speaking to reporters at the Nato summit in Ankara, Prime Minister Keir Starmer says:

"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.

"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."

Nigel Farage has said Reform is willing to cover the cost of the Clacton by-election.

"I have spoken to the CEO of Tendring District Council," he posts on X. "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."

It is unclear if the offer would be accepted, or even could be.

Farage's comments follow earlier remarks from Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey, who called for the Reform leader to cover the cost of running the by-election.

Image source, PA Media

We're now hearing from a spokesperson for Andy Burnham, who is widely expected to replace Keir Starmer as prime minister.

The spokesperson describes the Reform UK leader's resignation as 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," the spokesperson adds.

By-election expected to take place next monthpublished at 15:36 BST

15:36 BST

Chris Mason
Political editor, reporting from the Nato summit

Hello from the Turkish capital Ankara. I am part of the reporter pack covering the prime minister’s trip to the Nato summit getting under way here.

Nigel Farage, as so often in the last couple of years, has managed to upstage Sir Keir Starmer again, albeit via what his critics see as a self-serving stunt.

Speaking to his allies this afternoon, his aim here is to clearly frame this as “the people versus the establishment”, as one friend put it.

“This is Nigel setting the agenda, he is sick to death of being judged by Sky, The Times and Daniel Greenberg,” they added, the latter a reference to the parliamentary commissioner for standards.

They intend, I am told, to move the writ for the by-election as soon as they can - while parliament is sitting and before its summer break, beginning in a few weeks.

That would likely mean a by-election at some point next month, just as a new government led by Andy Burnham is beginning its time in power, in all likelihood.

The question now is how Reform’s opponents react. Do they put up candidates or not? Reform is baiting Labour to do so, claiming it would be Burnham’s first big test.

But there is precedent in these situations for opponents not to bother - and to argue they are not going to endorse what they see as a publicity stunt by taking part.

It is worth remembering that this by election doesn’t end the investigation that the standards commissioner is conducting, which could itself eventually lead to what is known as a recall petition and, yes, a by-election.

But Reform are effectively trying to say we are getting ahead of you — and who would want repeated by elections? A subsequent by-election would only happen in that scenario if enough folk in Clacton wanted one.

Constituents in Clacton are used to political attentionpublished at 15:30 BST

15:30 BST

Simon Dedman
BBC Essex political reporter, in Clacton

This is going to be a big shock and bolt out of the blue here in a very hot and sunny Clacton.

However, the people here are not completely unused to having the media and all the political parties descending on this seaside town.

Twelve years ago there was a massive Westminster by-election, when Douglas Carswell quit the Conservatives and stood for UKIP - the party that Nigel Farage then led.

Clacton became an epicentre during the EU referendum campaign and was a bastion of the Leave vote.

Then Nigel Farage decided to come back and try again for Westminster two years ago and also put Clacton back on the political map.

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey calls for Nigel Farage to fund the Clacton by-election himself.

He says: "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."

Davey says the Reform leader has "done nothing for his constituents" and the people of Clacton "deserve better".

“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.”

Joe Pike
Political correspondent

Nigel Farage will be contesting the Clacton seat 30 years after he first stood in a by-election. In Eastleigh, in 1994, he stood for UKIP and came fourth behind the Liberal Democrats, Labour and the Conservatives.

This will be the ninth time Farage has fought a Westminster seat: he lost seven times before his victory in Clacton in 2024.

Brian Wheeler
Reporting from Westminster

Nigel Farage’s arch rival Rupert Lowe wastes no time in attacking the Reform UK leader’s by-election announcement.

Lowe formed his own party, Restore Britain, after a spectacular falling out with Farage and is proving to be a persistent thorn in Reform’s side.

In a post on X, Lowe says: "The people of Clacton do not need a media circus descending on their town over a busy tourist season because their MP has made a series of bad decisions.

"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."

Lowe adds: "I will be making an announcement later today about Restore Britain’s plans for the Clacton by-election."

Image source, PA Media

Green Party leader Zack Polanski has responded to Farage's announcement, arguing the Reform UK leader "is a grifter".

In a post on X, he says Farage "knew he was heading towards a by-election anyway so has pulled the trigger early".

Polanski adds: "The people Vs the establishment?! Reform are literally part of the establishment."

The parliamentary commissioner for standards opened an investigation into the Reform UK leader in May, for allegedly failing to properly declare a £5m donation. The commissioner can refer a case to the Commons' standards committee, which can trigger the process for a by-election in an MP's constituency.