Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, has resigned as MP for Clacton, triggering a byelection in which he has announced he will stand. The move comes amid an inquiry by the standards commissioner into allegations that Farage received millions of pounds in donations from wealthy donors without properly declaring them.
At a widely televised press conference, Farage stated that he wanted to let voters judge his actions.
The other major political parties have declined to field their own candidates in the byelection, characterising the vote as a farce intended to distract from the investigations targeting Farage.
To date, the only other confirmed candidate is Count Binface – an intergalactic space lord with a bin for a head – continuing the UK's longstanding tradition of novelty and joke candidates in parliamentary contests.
