Parliamentary watchdog immediately reopens Farage investigation after Clacton by-election

They didn't waste any time

Previously, the website stated that the process had been suspended from 8 July, when Farage resigned to stand for reelection in Clacton.

And now the investigation into Reform UK’s leader has been reopened as the pause has been removed, as per the Commons website.

As he faced weeks of intense scrutiny over the financial support he received before the 2024 general election, Farage resigned as an MP on 7 July this year.

What’s exactly being investigated – revealed

The investigation by the Parliament’s standard commissioner into the then-Clacton MP was launched in May, following his failure to declare a £5m gift he received.

This all occurred before becoming an MP in the 2024 general election, and the gift came from Thailand-based billionaire Christopher Harborne.

While MPs are allowed to accept gifts from donors, they are supposed to declare if these might reasonably be thought to influence their actions, including those in the 12 months before their election.

As there is an exemption for gifts that are “purely personal”, Farage has said he didn’t break any rules, while insisting he received the money for his personal security.

Further, he added that the £5m gift was entirely unrelated to his last-minute decision to run to be an MP in the election.

How Farage received £5m thanks to Brexit

The waters were muddied in April however, when Harborne, speaking to The Telegraph, said he gave Farage the money "because of my great admiration for the decades of work he had done to achieve Brexit".

Meanwhile, Sky News also revealed in May that Farage purchased a £1.4m house in cash shortly after receiving Harborne's £5m - in May 2024.

Amid mounting pressure over his finances, Farage announced he would resign as an MP and call a by-election, amid mounting pressure over finances.

If the Reform UK leader is found to have fallen foul of the rules, he faces being suspended from the Commons and this could trigger another by-election.