The Mirror's Deputy Political Editor Ashley Cowburn, Political Correspondent Sophie Huskisson and Political Editor Lizzy Buchan write in...

Rattled Nigel Farage has been left humiliated as his “cynical political stunt” to quit as an MP and trigger a by-election in his own seat spectacularly unravelled.

The under-fire Reform chief, who said he would fight in the Clacton contest, desperately attempted to frame the fight as a “people versus the establishment by-election”.

Critics said he had “jumped before he’s pushed” amid a probe by the parliamentary commissioner for standards over his failure to declare a £5million gift from Thai-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne before his election as an MP.

But within hours Mr Farage was left with egg on his face as political parties of all colours - including Labour, the Tories, the Liberal Democrats, and right-wing Restore - announced they would boycott the Clacton by-election in a rare move.

A Labour 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.” They added: “Labour's ruling body, the National Executive Committee, has decided not to stand a candidate in this circus.”

Tory chief Kemi Badenoch said her party would not stand a candidate in the “fake” Clacton by-election Mr Farage is “causing to distract people from what is happening”. Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey added: "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.”

It raises the prospect of Mr Farage fighting the by-election this summer against just one candidate, Count Binface, a comedian who usually dons a bin-shaped helmet.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

Nigel Farage announces his resignation(Image: Getty Images)

Nigel Farage briefly spoke to reporters as he left the Millbank Tower after announcing he would resign and trigger a by-election in Clacton, which he would stand in.

Farage when asked, by BBC Newsnight, if his move was a "stunt" replied and said: "Oh, it's a big gamble."

Nigel Farage has entered a bitter battle with Sky News accusing the broadcaster of "hounding" his daughter.

Sky News has denied Farage's claims and said they were outside the home "where Mr Farage was registered to vote at the last election" at a different time to what the CCTV posted by Farage showed.

The Reform leader, in a post on X said: "Several media organisations have been hounding my daughter. When I approached the boss of Sky News and complained, they denied any contact — and so did their news report."

Sky News replied to the claims and said: "Clarification: Sky News was not at the property at 7.41am. bAs has already been acknowledged, and as shown in the footage from 10.19am, Sky News was outside a property where Mr Farage was registered to vote at the last election.

"Sky News did not interact with Mr Farage's daughter. On a single occasion, we approached the property without a camera operator, identified ourselves as Sky News, and the adult occupant chose not to engage."

The broadcaster added: "The footage clearly demonstrates that Sky News did not "hound" or pursue Mr Farage's daughter. At no stage did we seek to speak to anyone other than Mr Farage in connection with this story."

The Mirror's Political Correspondent Sophie Huskisson writes in...

By announcing a by-election, Mr Farage could cost the taxpayer tens of thousands of pounds.

The Reform UK leader said his party has offered to cover the cost – which could exceed £200,000 – and that he has spoken to Tendring District council. But Labour warned him that he cannot "buy his way out" of this and that he needs to take responsibility for making taxpayers pay for his "latest ego trip".

A Labour source said: "A political figure paying for a by election he is standing in would clearly undermine the independence of the democratic process. It's baffling that he can’t see that. He cannot just buy his way out of the mess he’s got himself into.

"This by-election will be conducted along the same rules as all elections are in the UK. Farage will have to take responsibility for making taxpayers pay the cost of his latest ego trip."

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

Nigel Farage while he announced his resignation(Image: Getty Images)

With Labour, the Tories, Liberal Democrats and Restore all confirming they will not stand in this by-election that means just two candidates so far have confirmed their participation.

Nigel Farage said he will run in his Clacton seat and so will Count Binface.

Count Binface speaking to media after the Makerfield by-election(Image: Getty Images)

The Mirror's Deputy Political Editor Ashley Cowburn writes in...

Labour's National Executive Committee has joined other political parties and confirmed it will not stand in a by-election in Clacton?

A Labour Party spokesperson 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."

The leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Ed Davey has suggested his party will not put a candidate forward in a Clacton by-election, following Farage's resignation.

Davey also urged the Government to block Farage's resignation for now and called on other parties to also not put their names on the ballot.

The Lib Dem leader, in a post on X, said: "The Government must block Nigel Farage's resignation until the Standards Commissioner finishes investigating him. The people of Clacton deserve the full facts.

"If a by-election does go ahead, all parties should stand aside. We cannot give oxygen to this vanity project."

Sir Ed Davey speaking at a conference, on June 25(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)

The Conservatives have said they will not put forward a candidate to run in the Clacton by-election, which was triggered after Nigel Farage said he would resign.

Kemi Badenoch said the party will be standing a candidate "in the real by-election" which could come after the result of the standards investigation into a £5 million gift to Farage from cryptocurrency tycoon Christopher Harborne.

Badenoch said: "We will not be standing a candidate in the fake by-election that Farage is causing to distract people from what is happening.

"We need to let that investigation run its course, and I think the reason why Nigel Farage has resigned is because he's terrified that he's going to be found to have done something wrong.

"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."

This comes after Rupert Lowe confirmed Restore UK would also not stand in the by-election.

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."

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

Davey said: "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.

"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."

Farage is being investigated by the parliamentary standards commissioner over a £5 million gift from cryptocurrency tycoon Christopher Harborne.

Kemi Badenoch accused Nigel Farage of "everybody's time and money just because he's having a hissy fit".

The Conservative Party leader said her team was "exploring every avenue" on how the Tories would approach the by-election because she wanted to avoid wasting taxpayers' money in the event of a second by-election in Clacton, after an investigation into Farage concludes.

Badenoch, speaking to Politico Live, said: "What I'm focused on right now, and I've set my team on it, is how to make sure that we avoid wasting taxpayers' money with two by-elections, and we're exploring every avenue, so until that's decided I'm not saying anything about what's happening in Clacton."

The Tory leader said there should be a by-election before the standards committee has ruled, saying: "It doesn't stop the ruling, it just pauses it.

Badenoch added: "The people of Clacton, in my view, are going to take a pretty dim view of their MP wasting everybody's time and money just because he's having a hissy fit."

Farage earlier said Reform UK has offered to cover the costs of this by-election in Clacton.

A by-election is triggered when a seat in the House of Commons becomes vacanat between general elections.

This could happen for several reasons including:

• an MP resigns
• an MP dies
• an MP is convicted of a serious criminal offence
• an MP is declared bankrupt
• an MP takes a seat in the House of Lords
• an MP is subject to a successful recall petition - where voters remove an elected official

A by-election does not have to happen if an MP changes political party.

Rupert Lowe said Restore Britain will not stand in the Clacton by-election triggered by Nigel Farage's resignation.

The party leader said: "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."

The Mirror's Political Editor Lizzy Buchan writes in...

Rachel Reeves has blasted Farage's resignation and claimed the Reform leader was "trying to distract" from the contreversey surrounding his finances.

The chancellor, speaking to the Mirror, said: "He's obviously trying to distract from the huge trouble that he is currently in around not declaring a whole range of donations and associations.

"He's trying to distract from that, and we mustn't let him."

When asked if Labour would run a candidate in Clacton, Reeves said: "Let's see what happens in terms of a by-election, but Labour would tend to stand candidates in by-elections."

The Mirror's Political Editor Lizzy Buchan writes in...

Keir Starmer slammed Nigel Farage's resignation and said he thinks "the public will see this for exactly what it is".

The Prime Minister, in Turkey for a NATO summit, said: "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."

Keir Starmer speaking at an event, on Monday(Image: Dan Kitwood/PA Wire)

The co-deputy leader of the Green Party, Mothin Ali, revealed his party will stand in the Clacton by-election but will decide how much they will campaign and fight for the vote.

Ali, speaking on Times Radio, said: "We stand in every election. That’s what the Green party does. We'll make a strategic decision as to how we stand in this election."

Green Party leader Zack Polanski has accused Farage of "trying to con the public with this stunt".

He said: "This is not Nigel Farage vs the establishment but the establishment's man against truth, honesty and decency."

Polanski went on to reference the financial controversies surrounding Farage, saying he has been "brought down" by his own actions while Farage "protests he is the victim of a so-called smear campaign against him".

The Green leader added: "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."

The Reform UK leader said the party has offered to cover the costs surrounding the new by-election in Clacton.

In a post on X, Farage said: "I have spoken to the CEO of Tendring District Council. 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."

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

The Liberal Democrat leader claimed "Nigel Farage has spent his whole life dodging responsibility for his actions" calling his move to call a by-election a "new stunt is his latest attempt to escape consequences for his biggest grift".

Davey added: "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."

The Lib Dem leader claimed Farage has "done nothing for his constituents" added: "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."

The Mirror's Deputy Political Editor Ashley Cowburn writes in...

Andy Burnham has also criticised Nigel Farage for his shock announcement amid questions over his finances.

A spokesperson for Andy Burnham 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."

Nigel Farage said he had “never been angrier in my life” as he claimed the media had been “haranguing” his family.

The Reform UK leader 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. She is not involved in current affairs, doesn’t seek to be involved in current affairs, and has never been used by me once at any point in my political career.

“No photographs on election addresses or anything like that, I’ve always done my absolute best to protect the privacy and safety of my family.

“By publishing that photograph, the editor of The Times has directly threatened her security… she now has broadcasters haranguing her.

“Sky News were one of them, and when I questioned them on it, they willfully and deliberately lied and said on their channel that they hadn’t contacted the family.

“Well, let me be clear. 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, so yes, you can ask, am I angry? Well, I’ve never been angrier in my life.”

Sky has said it did not contact anyone from Mr Farage’s family about the story.

Nigel Farage has just cost the UK taxpayer a significant amount of money to fund his by-election vanity project. Each by-election fought has to be paid for somehow, and of course, it comes from the taxpayer.

The Reform UK leader said his party has offered to cover the cost – which could exceed £200,000 – and that he has spoken to Tendring District council. But Labour warned him that he cannot "buy his way out" of this and that he needs to take responsibility for making taxpayers pay for his "latest ego trip".

A Labour source said: "A political figure paying for a by election he is standing in would clearly undermine the independence of the democratic process. It’s baffling that he can’t see that. He cannot just buy his way out of the mess he’s got himself into.

"This by-election will be conducted along the same rules as all elections are in the UK. Farage will have to take responsibility for making taxpayers pay the cost of his latest ego trip."

Nigel Farage's by-election will be paid for by the taxpayer(Image: PA)

Commenting on Nigel Farage’s resignation today (Tuesday), TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “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.”

The Mirror's Assistant Political Editor Alexander Brown writes in...

This statement was supposed to be about Nigel Farage’s political future, and was a chance to answer the numerous questions he has so far refused to address regarding his financial backers.The Reform UK leader could have explained how the £5million gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne was not a donation, and explain why he’d said it was for his security then that it was a reward for Brexit. He did not.Mr Farage could have explained his relationship with the convicted fraudster George Cottrell, how much money he was given, why he felt the need to stay at his home. He did not.

The former banker claimed in his address that he had broken no rules, and had been advised as such by legal professionals. This was an opportunity to share that advice, but he didn’t.By not explaining himself and instead calling a by-election, Mr Farage hopes to rise above the financial scandal by winning at the ballot box. The problem for him is, a win does not end scrutiny of his affairs, it does not mean he no longer has questions to answer. If anything, more scrutiny will follow.This attempt to win on his terms was made clear by the way his announcement was presented. There were no journalists, this was not a press conference.It was a statement online allowed to go unchallenged and unfiltered. He will expect to win again in Clacton, and it may well boost his standing among Reform supporters. But it will not stop legitimate questions being asked of his finances.

Nigel Farage announced he would trigger a by-election in Clacton(Image: Sky News)

Farage is resigning as MP for Clacton-on-Sea to trigger a by-election in Clacton after claiming parliamentary standards probes were evidence of "the establishment" using "foul means" to try and discredit him.

He has also announced his intention to stand in this election - suggesting this is a move to shore up support while under political scrutiny.

He told voters: "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 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."

Nigel Farage has dramatically quit as Clacton MP - and will stand in a by-election in the constituency.He says his constituents should be the "judges of my actions", adding: "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."

Nigel Farage has announced he will be stepping down as an MP to trigger a by-election in his Clacton constituency.

"I will be putting my name forward to stand in this by-election", he said.

The Reform UK leader said he has 'never been angrier'(Image: Getty Images)