Nigel Farage Resigns As MP
7/7/202635 min
Today Nigel Farage resigns as an MP, triggering a by-election in Clacton which he says he plans to stand in. He is currently facing an ongoing parliamentary standards investigation into whether he should have declared a £5 million gift he received from the cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne.
Making the announcement in a statement streamed online, Farage said that he had done “nothing wrong” and that he needed the money to pay for security. He accused Sky News of harassing his family and said that standards regulations had been weaponised by the “establishment.” Calling the by-election “people versus the establishment”, Mr Farage said “the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions.”
Adam, Alex and Chris unpack what the move might mean.
You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscord
Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.
New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Anna Harris and Gabriel Purcell-Davis. The social producer was Jem Westgate. The technical producer was Dafydd Evans. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsChris Mason· Host0:00
This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.
Asma Khalid0:03
[upbeat music] The United States is about to mark its 250th anniversary.
Chris Mason· Host0:10
And so on the Global Story podcast from the BBC, we're telling surprising tales of American influence on the world stage and in ordinary people's lives all across the globe.
Nigel Farage· Soundbite0:21
We have this ability to export our story, and, uh, a lot of people have bought it.
Adam Fleming· Host0:26
I feel like the American dream is alive, but not well.
Asma Khalid0:28
From the BBC, it's the United States at 250.
Chris Mason· Host0:31
Listen on bbc.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
Adam Fleming· Host0:35
Hello. At lunchtime on Tuesday, Nigel Farage put out a tantalizing message on social media saying he'd be delivering a statement about his future in public life at 2:00 PM. Here is a key part of the statement that came.
Nigel Farage· Soundbite0:50
I've 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 should happen, I hope, in short order. No, 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.