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Farage resigns as MP, triggering Clacton by-election
The move comes amid a parliamentary probe into a £5 million crypto donation that regulators raised concerns could have been laundered.
Nigel Farage, the leader of UK hard-right Reform UK, has resigned as the member of parliament for Clacton, setting up a by-election in southeast England, according to Agence France-Presse via SCMP Economy.
SCMP Economy reports Farage’s surprise decision sparked uncertainty for his candidacy after other major parties confirmed they would not contest the seat, leaving the by-election contest open to a limited field, with the only other announced candidate being “Count Binface,” a self-described “intergalactic space warrior.”
The announcement also landed while Farage is facing a parliamentary probe tied to the non-disclosure of a £5 million donation from Thailand-based cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne, a sum made shortly before Farage was elected an MP.
SCMP Economy adds that the donation was previously reported by The Guardian, which said bankers raised concerns with the National Crime Agency that the funds may have been laundered money.