Nigel Farage’s re-election in Clacton reactivates the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards’ investigation into the £5m gift he received from a crypto-billionaire.
The Commissioner, Daniel Greenberg, is likely to interview Farage within weeks as part of a probe which could result in the Reform UK leader having to fight a second by-election in his Essex constituency.
While the standards investigation had been formally paused by Farage’s decision to resign from Parliament to trigger the by-election, The i Paper reported last week that the Commissioner has been working over the summer recess.
When will the heatwave end?
Yesterday was the hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures peaking at 38.1°C at Kew Gardens in London as the record-breaking summer continues.
This has been the UK’s hottest summer on record, and yesterday ranked as the UK’s fifth hottest day since records began in 1914.
The relentless heat has been coupled with a prolonged dry spell, leading to drought in many areas of the country, particularly severe in the south.
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Record-breaking heat
- The 37 days from 30 June to 5 August counted as the UK’s second-longest heatwave.
- This year, the UK has had at least one heatwave every month since May.
- The whole of Wales and more than 70 per cent of England is now in drought.
- Some parts of Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and West Sussex have not had rain for 63 days.
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Drought in pictures
When will it end?
Met Office chief forecaster Neil Armstrong said temperatures will see “a gradual return to average over the next few days”.
Conditions will feel less humid by Saturday, though it will still feel warm.
As for some desperately needed rain, the Met Office said some parts may see thunderstorms later today and into Saturday.
But the next meaningful rain for the driest areas in the south “could be towards the end of next week”.
What you need to know as Farage wins Clacton by-election
The Reform UK leader claimed an “overwhelming” victory – but refused to attend the count for safety reasons.
A party spokesperson said there had been a “credible threat” made against him.
Everything you need to know
How did Farage do?
Farage won 22,239 votes in the by-election, securing a majority of 63 per cent.
What about Binface?
The satirical candidate Count Binface received 9,455 votes (27 per cent).
Who was he facing?
There were a record-breaking 34 candidates on the ballot on Thursday, though none from the main parties.
What has the reaction been?
In a brief statement posted on X, the Reform leader said: “The result in Clacton speaks for itself.”
By contrast, the Liberal Democrats said Farage had come away from the election “looking daft”, as most people “who fight against a bin” would.
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Finance probe re-opens
- Part of Farage’s reasoning behind his abrupt resignation last month was the probe into his financial affairs.
- He was being investigated by the parliamentary standards committee over the alleged “failure to register an interest”.
- It concerns a £5m “gift” from a crypto-billionaire in 2024, which Farage did not declare.
- As he has been re-elected, the probe has reopened.
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This is a hollow victory for Farage. His biggest test is about to begin
Farage has defeated a bin but questions still remain over his and Reform’s finances.
How university tuition fees may hit £11,000 a year by 2030
Record numbers of students are set to go to university this year – but they face debts as high as £100,000 when they graduate.
What you need to know
- Students starting four-year courses this autumn are to see their fees rise by more than £800 in their final year.
- Tuition fees will reach £9,790 this autumn and £10,050 next year.
- Keir Starmer’s government said fees would increase with inflation.
- With these costs, added to the maximum maintenance loan for a student living without their parents in London, the total adds up to nearly £100,000.
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Mounting concerns around cost
Lewis Wilson, vice president at the National Union of Students, said the costs of attending university were “astronomical” and students were left with “mortgage-sized” debts.
“It’s a graduate tax for life, but it’s completely unfair,” he said.
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Could the Government backtrack?
Last month, Education Secretary Lucy Powell said the issue of student loans was “very much at the top of my in-tray” and described interest charges on Plan 2 loans as “egregious”.
Iain Mansfield, head of education at the Policy Exchange think-tank, said: “Given the increasing concern about the quality of universities, there is a real question about whether or not they’ll choose to go ahead with it. It feels like a fifty-fifty decision.”
Wildfires tear through West Midlands – the latest
This morning, residents in Stourbridge woke up to the burnt-out shells of neighbouring houses after a night of terrifying wildfires swept through the West Midlands yesterday.
What happened?
- A huge blaze near Stourbridge Golf Course set six homes on fire yesterday, with 100 firefighters battling the flames.
- The ambulance service said two people were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.
- West Midlands chief fire officer Simon Tuhill said “the devastation is extensive”.
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Yesterday, fire crews also fought off a fire in Stoke-on-Trent where four homes were destroyed.
There were further fires in Warwickshire, Druids Heath and Kings Norton in Birmingham, Salford Priors and Pershore in Worcestershire. A woman was also seriously injured in another blaze in Castle Vale, Birmingham.
What has the reaction been?
There are now 11 major incidents declared across the UK, many in the West Midlands.
Phil Garrigan, chairman of the National Fire Chiefs Council, told the BBC: “It’s been a particularly difficult, busy period for the fire and rescue service, where we’ve been under significant pressure.”
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “Awful to see homes and communities hit by fires across the country tonight as the heatwave continues. My thoughts are with everyone affected.”
It means a conclusion on Farage’s financial affairs could come more swiftly than previously anticipated when Parliament reconvenes in September.
Greenberg launched the investigation in May after it emerged that Farage had received £5m from the British-born, Thailand-based crypto businessman Christopher Harborne.
Harborne gave Farage the money in early 2024, ahead of the general election, with the gift only coming to light this spring following an investigation by .
Parliamentary rules require MPs to declare any “personal benefit” linked to their political activities that they have received in the 12 months before taking office and to register them within one month of their election.
The Reform leader has claimed the money was for his security, and insists he had no obligation to declare it because it was “purely private”.
The House of Commons Code of Conduct states that “purely personal gifts or benefits” from family or commercial loans would not normally have to be registered.
But the rules also say that “both the possible motive of the giver and the use to which the gift is to be put should be considered,” and that “if there is any doubt, the benefit should be registered”.
Harborne is also Reform’s biggest donor, giving the party £12m in 2025.
Reform has meanwhile promised a raft of crypto-friendly policies if it forms the next government, although Farage insists his support for crypto-deregulation is long-standing and not influenced by donations from the industry.
Farage’s reasons for accepting the £5m gift
Farage has argued that he did not need to declare the £5m because it was an exempt “personal, unconditional gift”. However, his explanation for why the money was given has changed over time.
He initially told that the money was to cover the cost of his personal security, citing a previous firebomb attack on his home.
He later told broadcasters that he had “no obligation” to declare the payment because it was “purely private” and “wasn’t political in any sense at all”.
More recently, he told that the money was a “reward for campaigning for Brexit”, while insisting that he “cannot be bought by anybody”.
In June, when asked to clarify what the money was for, he told the BBC: “It was an unconditional gift; I can spend it on cars if I want to. It’s entirely up to me but there is a specific reason for this. I have been physically the most attacked and endangered politician in Britain for now well over a decade, at every stage during that time when I’ve asked the state to help and support, most times they have point-blank refused.”
He went on to say the money was for protection “until the day that I die”.
MPs who are found to have broken the House of Commons code of conduct face a range of punishments, from a written or oral apology to suspension from the House, or even expulsion in the most serious cases.
The commissioner does not recommend any particular sanction for MPs, with any punishment being decided by the cross-party Select Committee on Standards.
MPs suspended for longer than two weeks, or 10 sitting days of the Commons, can also be subject to a recall process that can result in a by-election. For a by-election to be triggered, a petition must reach 10 per cent of eligible registered voters in a constituency within a six-week period.
Farage called the by-election in Clacton in a bid to pre-empt the standards investigation and claim a mandate against an “establishment” which he says is out to get him.
On Friday morning, before the result was declared, Farage said he had won an “overwhelming endorsement” in a contest which he said he had called because he wanted “the voters of this constituency to be my judge, not the mainstream media in Britain”.
However, the result of the by-election and Farage’s pronouncements will not influence the conclusions of the commissioner.
The main political parties which boycotted this contest have meanwhile indicated that they would stand in a second by-election if one is triggered as a result of Greenberg’s ruling.