An investigation into a £5 million gift to Nigel Farage from a crypto millionaire has been resumed just hours after his victory over Count Binface in the Clacton by-election.
The investigation was paused when Farage stepped down as a member of parliament, only for him to announce his participation in the new race for a seat in Essex. This pause was lifted after he defeated his sole main rival, Count Binface, as all major parties refused to field their candidates.
The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is resuming his investigation, according to information on the House of Commons website. It concerns allegations of donations after the leader of the Reform UK party failed to declare a £5 million gift he received before becoming a member of parliament in the 2024 general election from crypto millionaire Christopher Harborne.
Reform UK MP Lee Anderson stated that his party would “of course” cooperate with the parliamentary investigation. He added: “As far as I know, and as far as Reform UK knows, everything is clean in Clacton now.” When asked if they would cooperate with the investigation by the parliamentary standards watchdog, he replied: “Of course, we will. We will always cooperate with any procedure in parliament. That’s what we do.”
Calls to expedite the investigation and party reactions
A Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokesperson, MP Layla Moran, called to “expedite” the investigation into Nigel Farage. She noted: “Like most people who win a fight against a dustbin, Farage looked silly and smelled like yesterday’s fish and chip paper. Now that he is returning to Westminster, the investigation into his shady financial dealings and the ‘gift’ of £5 million should be expedited. Reform claims to fight for the people, but they answer to crypto millionaires.”
This came after the Labour and Conservative parties stated that Nigel Farage’s victory in Clacton would not be overshadowed by controversy.
A record number of 34 candidates ran in the by-election, with satirical candidate Count Binface emerging as Farage’s main rival as other major parties refused to field their candidates. Ultimately, Nigel Farage received 22,239 votes, or 62.82 percent, while Count Binface received 9,455 votes, or 26.71 percent. This is significantly more than his majority of 8,405 votes (46.2 percent) that he won in the 2024 general election. In total, 32 out of the record 34 candidates lost their deposits.
Farage’s absence at the results announcement and security concerns
Nigel Farage informed supporters at an all-day “Farage-fest” event organized by Reform in Essex that he would not be present at the vote count: “I am not afraid of these people, not at all. But I will damn myself if I stand on stage, having won a resounding victory, a bright confirmation of everything I have tried to fight for, and everything you have tried to fight for, and be humiliated and disgraced by anyone, and I, unfortunately, will not be present at the count.”
The elected MP did not appear at the results announcement after Reform UK statements about a “credible threat” against him, with Nigel Farage himself adding that the Essex police had informed him of an “organized campaign to disrupt and discredit the result.” It is noted that the Essex police did not advise him not to attend the vote count.
Reform UK Deputy Leader Richard Tice informed Nick Ferrari this morning: “His security team was very concerned about a credible threat to his safety […] I don’t think anyone has the audacity to question our decisions and the decisions of our security team regarding safety and protection. People don’t realize the level of threats and risks we face. Ultimately, it is not the police who decide if Nigel will be safe. It is his security team. Their job is to ensure his safety and protection.”
