Chancellor clears way for Farage to quit as MP and trigger by-election
He made the request yesterday
Last updated 8th Jul 2026
Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said she would agree to Nigel Farage’s request to quit as an MP so he can “spend the Summer arguing with a bin”.
Reform UK leader Mr Farage announced he plans to trigger a by-election in his Clacton seat, in what he dubbed a “people versus the establishment” fight, as he faces close scrutiny over gifts and support he has received.
But the main Westminster parties are boycotting the contest, with Mr Farage’s highest-profile opponent likely to be comedy candidate Count Binface.
Technically, MPs cannot resign and must instead be appointed to either the steward and bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds or the Manor of Northstead, symbolic roles which bar them from the Commons.
Ms Reeves said: “I will accept Nigel Farage’s request to be appointed Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead.
“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.”
The Liberal Democrats had called on her to block the process, saying Mr Farage should not be allowed to quit until a parliamentary investigation into undeclared donations had concluded.
Mr Farage is being investigated by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner over whether he should have registered a £5 million gift from cryptocurrency tycoon Christopher Harborne, which he said was needed to fund the security he required as a result of multiple threats against him.
The Reform leader is also facing questions over support provided by George Cottrell after a Sunday Times investigation.
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.
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.
The Reform UK leader maintains he has done nothing wrong, and claimed the people of Clacton “should be the judges of my actions” after accusing the media and his political opponents of being part of an establishment effort to attack him.
Count Binface conceded he will probably not win in Clacton, where Mr Farage had a majority of 8,405 and 46.2% of the vote in 2024.