Malcolm Offord: Parties refusing to stand against Nigel Farage is an 'establishment stitch-up'

Yesterday Mr Farage announced he is resigning as the MP for Clacton to trigger a by-election which he himself intends to stand in. He said it would allow the people a chance to give their own verdict on the scandal surrounding his finances.

Mr Farage is currently under investigation from the UK Parliament’s standards commissioner for not declaring a £5 million gift he received from billionaire Christopher Harborne just weeks before he became an MP in 2024.

Westminster rules mean that all newly-elected MPs need to declare any gifts or benefits received in the 12 months leading up to their election. The parliamentary investigation will resume if Mr Farage is re-elected in this by-election.

However, so far the only political figure who is willing to stand against him in this by-election is Count Binface.

Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast, Mr Offord said: “It’s an establishment stitch-up.

“No one wants to fight Nigel Farage when this is a chance for them to knock him out of the ring.

“He’s been an anti-establishment thorn in their side for the past 25 years and now the chance has come they’re feart.

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“We have nothing to fear here. Nigel Farage has spent 25 years up against the same crew and now when it comes down to it they won’t take him on.”

Mr Offord says Mr Farage’s decision to trigger a by-election is “very brave and very principled” and said there had been a “massive pile-on” against the Reform UK leader who receives “daily death threats”.

During his interview he also defended Mr Farage’s £5m donation from a crypto-billionaire just weeks before he was elected back in 2024.

He said: “This was a private gift given to him when he wasn’t an MP and wasn’t even thinking of standing.

“It was given to him on an unconditional basis before he moved back into the political world.”

He said it is “very clear” this was a “private gift” with “no political conditions attached to it”.

Mr Offord added: “We get more than average abuse in the press and that's fine, because if a politician complains about the press it’s like a sailor complaining about the weather.

“We also get abuse in the chamber from our opponents and that makes me feel good because we know what we are up against, but there is a line when it comes to family, and that crossed a line for Nigel Farage.”

Polling guru Professor Sir John Curtice added the fact other parties are not going to stand in this by-election risks making this a “damp squib”.

He said: “He was hoping for a by-election where he could take on all the political parties and therefore have a substantial political circus and receive a great deal of attention and it looks like that won’t happen.

“It’s like saying ‘let's go play football and none of the other kids are willing to play’, so it will probably be reduced to a damp squib.

“Farage is arguing that it shows the other parties are afraid by not challenging him and it means he gets back in the headlines.

“Reform is still ahead in the polls despite a slight boost for Labour in the wake of the resignation of Keir Starmer. Support for Reform is edging down slowly so he will be hoping this publicity pushes him up.”

Professor Curtice said the fact he is willing to trigger and stand in a by-election means he is “presumably willing” to talk about his finances during the election campaign.

He added: “Clearly Farage was hoping this move would grab people’s attention because when Andy Burnham becomes Labour leader, Labour might enjoy a further boost in the polls, and that would put Labour ahead of Reform for the first time in 12 months.

“He is hoping that by declaring himself he can rally those sympathetic to Reform.

“Labour needs to gain ground and Reform needs to head off any damage coming their way.

“Summer is meant to be a quiet time politically, but I don’t think that will be the case at all.”

Mr Farage won the Clacton constituency at the 2024 general election with a majority of over 8,000. The Conservatives came second with Labour in third place.

It is estimated that the cost of putting on a by-election is around £228,964 - however this estimate is from 2016 and costs will likely be much higher now.

Mr Farage said his party has offered to cover the cost of this by-election. Normally, by-elections are paid for from central government funds.

However, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government told LBC that allowing Reform UK to pay for this by-election would be illegal.

A department spokesperson told LBC: “To maintain the independence and impartiality of the electoral process, the law is clear that the cost of running elections must be met from public funds, and not by candidates or political parties.

“Individuals or groups can, of course, make voluntary donations to the consolidated fund in the normal way, but these are not ring-fenced to pay for specific costs or events.”