Labour and Tories unite as they refuse to stand candidates against Nigel Farage in 'fake' by-election

Labour and the Conservatives have confirmed they will not be standing a candidate in the upcoming Clacton by-election.

A by-election was called earlier today after Nigel Farage resigned as the MP for Clacton, vowing to continue the "political revolution" by pitting the "people versus the establishment.”

Speaking this evening, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: “We will be standing a candidate in the real by-election, which will follow the standards investigation into Nigel Farage’s fishy finances. We will not be standing a candidate in the fake by-election that Farage is causing to distract people from what is happening.

“The best thing for him to have done would have been to call a press conference and explain what he did with the money, apologise if needs be, and that would have been the end of it.

“Instead, he has been running away from scrutiny. No one is bigger than parliament. We all have to register our interests. We, the Conservative Party, are very focused on uniting the country around sensible policies.

A Labour Party spokesman said: "Nigel Farage is engulfed in a sleaze scandal and he’s desperately trying to change the subject. It’s pathetic, and the Labour Party is not going to indulge it.

"Labour’s ruling body, the National Executive Committee, has decided not to stand a candidate in this circus. Instead, Labour will remain focused on delivering for working people and holding Reform to account.

"Farage should let the parliamentary investigation into his finances run its course and face the consequences."

Sir Ed Davey and Rupert Lowe have both also confirmed the Liberal Democrats and Restore Britain respectively will not be standing.

Sinn Féin Deputy Leader and Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill has said she doesn't think Andy Burnham will be much different from Sir Keir Starmer ,

Asked if she expected Mr Burnham’s premiership to materially differ from Sir Keir Starmer’s, Ms O’Neill said: “The short answer would be no, I don’t expect anything to be any different.

“This will be my seventh prime minister that I’ve been dealing with in 10 years. It underlines the chaos of Westminster."

She was speaking as Sinn Féin's leader Mary Lou McDonald tabled a Bill that would require a Green Paper on Irish unity to be published within 18 months, as well as provide for the convening of a Citizens’ Assembly.

Mrs O’Neill said: "It underlines why more than ever we need this legislation passed and why we need to plan for the future.

"I’m very certain that citizens in the North will be much better served in a new constitutional arrangement, a united Ireland, a better future for all of us."

The Welsh First Minister said he hopes to secure an early meeting with Andy Burnham after being "ghosted" by Sir Keir Starmer.

Speaking at the Welsh Parliament on Tuesday, Rhun ap Iorwerth said a planned meeting with the Prime Minister had not materialised last month because of "chaos in Westminster".

Plaid Cymru entered government in Wales in May after a historic election result saw it oust Welsh Labour from power for the first time in more than two decades, a result which heaped further pressure on Sir Keir to resign.

Mr ap Iorwerth said he hoped to have a constructive relationship with the UK Government and had an introductory phone call with the Prime Minister,

Leader of Reform Wales Dan Thomas said: "After you were ghosted by Keir Starmer, can you confirm if you have directly spoken with Andy Burnham, either before or after his comments on devolution recently?

"And, if not, have you got a firm date in the diary to speak to Andy Burnham, the next prime minister?"

Mr ap Iorwerth said: "The very early conversation that I had with Keir Starmer that didn’t lead to a meeting… I sincerely hope will be replicated in a very early meeting with Andy Burnham, should, as we expect, he becomes the prime minister of the UK, because I’ve got a lot to talk to him about."

A Labour minister has refused to say whether killers, rapists, and child sex offenders will be let out of prison early under Government plans to ease overcrowding.

Jake Richards was pressed on the issue in the Commons after reports suggested perpetrators of these crimes could be among the 6,000 criminals to be released from September.

MPs demanded answers from him during a Conservative opposition day debate on Tuesday. But, when asked directly whether dangerous criminals will be released, Mr Richards did not respond to the question.

He told the Commons: "What we will not do is put our head in the sand, which would lead to another prison capacity crisis, which would lead to another urgent, chaotic early release scheme, as we saw under the last Conservative government time and time again.

"I cannot look victims in the eye and tell them that is good for them or the country."

Labour MP for Liverpool Wavertree Paula Barker asked the minister to "explain to us how releasing very dangerous sexual predators and grooming gang members actually fits with our manifesto commitment to halve violence against women and girls".

Mr Richards replied: "Many of the offenders that we are talking about have been released previously, will continue being released, but for the Sentencing Act.

"It’s about what measures you put in the community to ensure that the community is safe, and that is why we are investing more than ever before in our probation service."

Ms Barker later called for “emergency legislation" to be brought forward by ministers, as she warned convictions will "fall again, because victims will not come forward".

Labour's Deputy Leader Lucy Powell has slammed Nigel Farage's decision to hold a by-election in Clacton as a "sham"

The Manchester Central MP said: "Reform’s attempt to distract from their own failings won’t wash. We can all see this for exactly what it is.

"If Farage was so confident he had abided by the rules and had legal advice to that effect, he would have ample opportunity to present his case. In fact he still will because the standards investigation will continue anyway.

"This isn’t a serious by-election and we won’t take part in a sham. Instead the attention should remain firmly on the growing number of questions Reform has to answer to Parliament."

Count Binface has thrown down the gauntlet to Nigel Farage as he confirmed he will stand in the Clacton by-election.

He said: "Labour, Tories, Lib Dems and Greens: I demand you stand down in Clacton. I will be a unity candidate and pledge to build at least one affordable house.

"Nigel Farage says he wants The People versus the Establishment. So be it. Leave him to me."

Sir Ed Davey has confirmed the Liberal Democrats will also not be fielding a candidate in the upcoming Clacton by-election.

The party leader said: "If this byelection does go ahead now, we are calling on all parties to stand aside and refuse to give oxygen to Farage’s vanity project.

"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."

Iran’s deputy ambassador has been summoned over the attack on a journalist in the UK that a judge said was carried out on behalf of the Iranian state.

Iran International journalist Pouria Zeraati was left bleeding in the street after being stabbed three times outside his home in Wimbledon on March 29 2024.

Two Romanian nationals were convicted over the attack, and the judge said at the sentencing last week that the evidence “overwhelmingly points” to it being carried out on behalf of the Iranian regime.

Ali Nasimfar, the charge d’affaires at the Iranian embassy in London, was summoned to the Foreign Office by minister for the Middle East Hamish Falconer on instruction from the Foreign Secretary.

Reform UK has accused the National Crime Agency of illegally leaking its MPs' bank statements to the media.

Richard Tice has written to the NCA to demand an urgent investigation after he and Nigel Farage became the subjects of leaks.

Mr Tice told The Telegraph: "I believe the National Crime Agency has leaked confidential conversations between me and my bank managers as well as multiple bank statements from different banks to The Guardian.

"One or more people at the NCA have thus committed numerous criminal acts. This appears to be a deliberate tactic to smear and discredit me. I have nothing to hide. I think the same has occurred against Nigel Farage.

"I demand an immediate explanation from the director general, an internal inquiry and for the police to investigate. Someone must be held accountable."

A spokesman for the NCA said: "The NCA does not confirm or deny the receipt of Suspicious Activity Reports, nor comment on how any SAR is used. SARs are confidential and breaching that confidentiality risks committing a tipping-off offence under the Proceeds of Crime Act."

Labour's biggest union backer, Unite, has issued a statement following the resignation of Nigel Farage, calling him "no friend of the working class."

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This latest distraction from the everyday issues real people are facing will have workers and communities holding their head in their hands.

“Everyday people are hurting and this latest pantomime does nothing to ease their pain.

“Nigel Farage is certainly no friend of the working class. A privately educated former banker who moved from trading in the City to trading in fear.

“The rise of Reform and Restore is down to the non-delivery of Labour.

“It is now time for Labour to deliver. This latest diversion must not distract from that.”

Rupert Lowe has confirmed Restore Britain will not stand in the by-election triggered by Nigel Farage’s resignation.

The party leader clarified: "Restore Britain will stand in the Clacton by-election, the second one, held later this year, when the investigations into Farage’s finances conclude as we all suspect they will.

"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.

"Farage can play with his toys for the next six weeks but Restore Britain is going to continue producing detailed policy papers, exactly as we have been, outlining how we can fix our country.

"That is what I am interested in. Detail. Data. Policy. A plan. I feel for the people of Clacton who deserve so much better than this unnecessary sham forced on them throughout their summer."

Labour's Clacton candidate from the 2024 General Election has posted a cryptic message after Nigel Farage announced his resignation from the Essex seat.

Jovan Owusu-Nepaul finished in third in 2024 on 7,448 votes, behind Conservative incumbent Giles Watling who won 12,820 votes and Mr Farage, who won 21,225 votes.

Mr Owusu-Nepaul, who now hosts the What's Left podcast, posted the emoji on his X page following Mr Farage's announcement.

Sir Keir Starmer has said the public will see Nigel Farage's decision to resign as an MP as a "desperate stunt".

The Prime Minister said: “This is a desperate stunt from Nigel Farage. It’s obvious why he is 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.”

Kemi Badenoch has refused to confirm if the Conservatives will stand a candidate against Nigel Farage in Clacton.

The Conservative leader said; "I don't need to respond to one man's gimmick, he doesn't want to follow due process. He will find out what we do when the time is right. I don't need to jump to Nigel Farage's beat.

"What I am focused on now is how to make sure we avoid wasting taxpayer money with two by elections and we're exploring every avenue so until that is decided I am not saying what is happening.

Kemi Badenoch says Nigel Farage has to "man up" as she suggested the Reform leader is "cracking under pressure."

The Conservative leader said: "He went on telly having a hissy fit because for the first time, he is finally having to face scrutiny after a very long honeymoon period and he cannot handle it.

"He should man up and answer some questions."

Union chiefs have been quick to condemn the Reform leader Nigel Farage for calling a by-election.

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “Let’s call this Nigel Farage announcement out for what it is: a cynical political stunt to distract from his dodgy dealings with crypto crooks and super rich aristocrats.

"Whether it’s multimillion-pound bungs, luxurious houses or fully funded apparatchiks, Reform’s undeclared cronyism stinks.

"Farage is jumping before he’s pushed. This is straight out of the Trumpian playbook – attacking the media and anyone daring to ask legitimate questions about his finances. Britain and Clacton deserve better than this."

Meanwhile, TSSA General Secretary Maryam Eslamdoust said: “The decision to call a by-election and then stand as a candidate is a typical sleight of hand by Nigel Farage.

"It is amounts to nothing more than end of the pier show posturing."

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

The Kingston and Surbiton MP said: "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. We won’t let him.

"We have just sat through a self-obsessed diatribe delivered by a Temu Trump who seems to think he is sat in the Oval Office.

"He has done nothing for his constituents and instead focused on lining his own pockets. The people of Clacton deserve better than a rubbish Trump tribute act.

"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."

Nigel Farage has said Reform has offered to cover the cost of the by-election, adding he had written to both Tendring County Council and Chancellor Rachel Reeves to confirm this.

Green Party leader Zack Polanski said Nigel Farage was "a grifter brought down by his own grifting" as he accused the Reform leader of being a "representative of the wealthy and the establishment."

He said: "Nigel Farage is once again trying to con the public with this stunt – trying to duck the fact that his history of taking dodgy donations is finally catching up with him.

"This is not Nigel Farage vs the establishment but the establishment’s man against truth, honesty and decency.

"As much as he now protests he is the victim of a so-called smear campaign against him, the truth is that he is a grifter brought down by his own grifting.

"He has never been a man of the people, but a representative of the wealthy and the establishment.

"We need to take big money out of politics with a cap on political donations, and state funding for political parties so they’re not in the pocket of the wealthy and powerful."

Andy Burnham has slammed Nigel Farage's announcement to resign as Clacton MP as a "gimmick".

The Makerfield MP said: "This is 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."

Pollster Ben Walker has predicted Reform would win the Clacton by-election by 60 per cent if the vote was today.

On X, he posted: "What Britain Predicts says for Clacton today: Reform: 61% Conservative: 13% Green: 8% Labour: 6% Lib Dem: 4% Other (Restore?): 8%"

A Reform UK source has said they are "confident" Nigel Farage will win the freshly triggered Clacton by-election.

Reform UK source told GB News: “Nigel is taking back control of the agenda. Voters know it's the people versus the establishment.

"We got almost 50 per cent in Clacton in 2024 when we were at 14 per cent nationally. We’ve now doubled our support.

Labour's party chair Anna Turley, who wrote a letter to the electoral commission urging them to launch an investigation into Nigel Farage's financial dealings, has said Reform's leader got a "free party political broadcast" to "play the victim".

In a post on X, she wrote: "Imagine getting a free party political broadcast on all news broadcasters to play the victim when you’ve broken all the rules."

Restore MP Rupert Lowe has called for Nigel Farage to fund the Clacton by-election himself, describing the move as only being about "one person".

In a statement on X, he wrote: "Farage has proven one thing today and one thing only - everything that he does is about one person. Nigel Farage. 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.

"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.

"This is making a mockery of our entire democratic process. He made bad decision after bad decision, and concealed money in a way that has spectacularly backfired. A by-election will not deflect from that fact, and nor should it. I will be making an announcement later today about Restore Britain’s plans for the Clacton by-election."

In a statement, the broadcaster said they "approached" a property linked to Nigel Farage and the "occupant chose to not engage".

It said: "Nigel Farage has legitimate questions to answer about the gift he accepted from Mr Cottrell.

"Given the clear public interest in this matter, Sky News has been seeking a response from Mr Farage and has made reasonable efforts to contact him.

"We acknowledge that Sky News was part of a broadcast pool operation outside a property linked to Mr Farage yesterday.

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

Nigel Farage has announced his resignation as MP for Clacton.

He said: "I thought about it hard, and I've decided today, today I will resign as a member of Parliament for Clacton on Sea, thereby forcing a by-election, which would happen, I hope, in short order.

"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."

Reform UK's leader said he "will not tolerate intimidation" of his family referencing how the Times newspaper published a picture of where his daughter lives.

He said: "I will not tolerate intimidation of my family. I will not tolerate the location of where they live being revealed. I will not tolerate any of my family being endangered because of what I choose to do in public life."

Nigel Farage has outlined the danger he has encountered being a political figure and thanks crypto-billionaire Christopher Harbourne for his £5million personal donation.

He said: "For over 20 years now, I have been subject to constant demolition by the press for daring to be outside the consensual view on many issues.

I've been attacked again and again, and I am the most physically and verbally attacked public figure or politician of modern times."

He added: "I am going to need security for the rest of my life, and I cannot even tell you how grateful I am to Christopher Harbourne, because now I will never ever need to worry about whether I've got the resource."

Reform UK's leader Nigel Farage has backed himself in a statement today, doubling-down on his financial decisions, including controversial donations from cryptocurrency billionarie and a convicted criminal.

He said: "Do we want leaders that know to make money? Do we want leaders that run businesses, employ people, and understand how the world works?

"What I'm going to argue today, we absolutely need successful people from walks of life, but particularly from business and industry, we need them not just in Parliament, we need them in Government if we're even going to have half a chance of turning around the dire economic state this country now finds itself in."

Reform UK's leader Nigel Farage has denied any financial wrongdoing following the investigations into donations to him.

In a statement, he said: "I have not broken the law in any way at all. I have not misused public money, and you know, for the first two years of being an MP, my personal MP expenses are zero. Of course, we shall read about that in mainstream media.

"And yes, of course, Parliament has its rules about how members ought to behave, and I believe I've absolutely obeyed those rules and done so under getting good legal advice, the standard rules are clear."

Sir Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper have arrived in Ankara, Turkey, ahead of the Nato summit.

Deputy leader of Reform Richard Tice has said voters have shown they are not concerned about debates on Nigel Farage's finances.

While he did not reference the ongoing row about Mr Farage's dealings with convicted criminal George Cottrell, Mr Tice said May's local elections were a sign the electorate were unbothered by his £5million cryptocurrency donation.

Speaking to the Institute for Government, he said: "There have been lots of elections recently. The May elections were after Nigel’s gift was announced.

"The last two weeks of (council) by-elections, we’re winning them by significant percentages. We’ve won most of them.

"So, ultimately: Got to trust the voter and the voters will tell us."

Nigel Farage has confirmed he will make an announcement about his "future in public life" at 2pm this afternoon.

The Reform UK leader, who is under mounting pressure over gifts and donations, will speak out today while a standards investigation takes place.

Lord George Robertson former Labour defence secretary and author of the strategic defence review (SDR) has said Britain's Nato allies will be "disturbed" by the "delay and reality" of the Defence Investment Plan (Dip).

He also said relations between US President Donald Trump and Sir Keir Starmer could be "frosty".

Speaking to the Commons Defence Committee, he said: "The Prime Minister is in Ankara today at the Nato summit and he’ll be sitting tomorrow morning beside President Trump in alphabetical order around the North Atlantic Council table, and I think relations may well be quite frosty, and the allies round the table, who are all stepping up to the mark, and who are all now spending more on defence, and of course some of the bigger countries, like Germany and Poland, are spending considerably more than we are spending.

"I think the delay and the reality will have disturbed more of the United Kingdom, given that we have always claimed to have a leading role in Nato."

Lord Robertson served as Nato secretary general from 1999 to 2003.

Kemi Badenoch dug in on Labour this afternoon, saying “silly season is not for the people running the country”.

Speaking at a rally in central London, Mrs Badenoch said: “Burnham wants a summer holiday, Farage is in hiding, Starmer is retiring.

“But all of this is happening right at the time when difficult decisions need to be made.

“Silly season is not for the people running the country. Britain needs some grown-ups in the room, but they don’t appear to be any outside the Conservative Party.”

Kemi Badenoch aimed jibes at Andy Burnham's policy proposals as she hit out at Labour for not focusing enough on defence spending.

The Conservative leader criticised both Reform UK’s Nigel Farage and prime minister-in-waiting Andy Burnham for their focus in recent weeks.

Reform UK is “completely distracted by their constant scandals and personal dramas”, Mrs Badenoch said, adding Mr Burnham had said “nothing” about defence after an encounter between British forces and a Russian plane in the Arctic.

Hitting out at Mr Burnham’s devolution policy, the Conservative leader said: “I don’t think that Vladimir Putin is going to be worried about Nigel Farage, I don’t think he’s going to be worried about Andy Burnham either.

“Putin doesn’t care how nationalised your buses are and he doesn’t care whether No 10 is in Manchester or London.”

Justice minister Jake Richards could not say how many violent and sexual criminals would be early released under the new Sentencing Act.

When questioned by GB News's Ellie Costello on the numbers of criminals who will be let out under the reforms, which are meant to become applicable in September, he said: "The full numbers are going to be set out in due course. I don't have those numbers today."

He was then further pressed on the number the Conservatives had estimated, which around 6,000, he said "I don't know where they've got that figure from".

Sir Keir Starmer is in Turkey today for the Nato summit and what is assumed to be his last foreign trip as Prime Minister.

The summit is expected to focus on building a stronger Europe for the transatlantic alliance, with the US keen for European members to take greater responsibility of their own defences.

No10 said Sir Keir will be "focused on building a stronger and more European Nato".

Labour has written to the Electoral Commission, urging them to investigate donations made to Reform UK's leader Nigel Farage by convicted criminal George Cottrell.

Party Chair Anna Turley wrote a letter to the elections watchdog's CEO Vijay Rangarajan, calling for probe to be launched.

She said in a press release: "This scandal isn’t going away the more Nigel Farage tries to avoid scrutiny – it’s only getting worse. The time for him to be straight with the public is long overdue. The Reform Leader must put all the evidence on the table if he is to clear his name.

"Serious allegations of rule breaking are already being assessed by the Parliamentary authorities. It is now abundantly clear that Mr Farage may have not only broken Parliamentary rules, he may have broken the law.

"Farage can’t brazenly brush this off as being 'none of your business' any longer. He needs to own his self-inflicted scandal and prove he’s not been secretly breaking the rules and taking the British public for fools."

Shadow Justice minister Keiran Mullan said the new Sentencing Act has been "devastating" for victims.

Speaking to GB News, he discussed the new legislation, which has been enacted by Labour to address prison overcrowding in England and Wales.

The legislation brings forward the earliest automatic release dates for many standard determinate sentences from 40 per cent to 33 per cent of time served.

For violent and sexual offences, the release point will be at 50 per cent, compared to 66 per cent.

Mr Mullan said: "They are going to be letting out rapists, pedophiles, child groomers earlier, and that has meant 1000s of victims have had letters telling them that the perpetrators that committed offenses against them are now going to get out earlier, and that's been absolutely devastating for them."

Labour is considering plans to introduce emergency legislation to fast-track the deportation of a Rochdale grooming gang ringleader.

Alex Norris, the Minister of State for Border Security and Asylum, has told the Commons that "all options are on the table" when asked if Government would use emergency legislation to remove Pakistan-born Shabir Ahmed.

Ahmed, 73, was released from prison last week after serving 14 years of a 22-year sentence.

The child rapist had his British citizenship stripped in 2016, but has not been deported to Pakistan.

MPs have warned the UK risks being cut off from vital AI technology "at the whim" of foreign leaders like President Donald Trump, after the US restricted access to Anthropic's most powerful AI models over national security concerns.

The Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee said the move showed Britain "may not be able to count on even its allies for access to vital technology".

Committee chairwoman Dame Chi Onwurah said: "Without a clear plan, the Government will be unable to achieve this."

She warned the UK risked "falling even further behind in the global race for science and technology capability".

Allies of Technology Secretary Liz Kendall pointed to the £500million Sovereign AI fund as evidence the Government had already taken action to address the concerns raised.