Nigel Farage is quitting as an MP to trigger “a people versus the Establishment” by-election which he will fight in. The Reform UK leader made the bombshell announcement for a ballot in Clacton in a statement this afternoon, as he faces intense scrutiny over claims about his finances.

Mr Farage insisted he has done nothing wrong and accused the press of harassing his family. He said: “The issue with my daughter was the final straw. Enough is enough. And I thought over the weekend, what shall I do? I could go out and try and make some real big money. I could go to the USA, where I’ve got plenty of offers. And then I thought, why should I be judged today, or in history in the future, by Sky News and their ilk?”

Nigel Farage is set to fight a by-election in Clacton (Image: Getty)

Mr Farage continued: “Why should they be the people that decide my fate? When, as I repeat, I have done nothing wrong.

“I thought about it hard and I have decided 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.

“Now 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.

“I will fight to win. I will fight to continue the political revolution that Reform has started, 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.”

The Reform leader has faced calls for an investigation following reports that long-term ally George Cottrell, a convicted fraudster known as “Posh George”, had provided undeclared funding for security and staffing in the year before he was elected.

Under the Commons’ rules, new MPs are required to register any gifts worth more than £300 they received in the previous 12 months if they relate to politics.

Mr Farage is already facing a parliamentary standards investigation over a £5 million gift from Reform donor Christopher Harborne before becoming an MP.