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Nigel Farage rage quits
Nigel Farage has resigned as an MP to force a by-election in Clacton, where he intends to stand again.
It comes as scrutiny mounts over Reform UK’s funding, the £5 million gift Farage received from the businessman Christopher Harborne and his association with the convicted criminal George Cottrell. So rather than wait for a ruling from the parliamentary standards commissioner, Farage will be out on the doorsteps in Clacton, fighting what he is branding a ‘people vs the establishment’ referendum. It is a risky strategy, but one that plays to Farage’s strengths as a campaigner. Will Labour and the Tories call his bluff and leave him with egg on his face? Or should we prepare for the by-election of the ages?
Noa Hoffman discusses the story with James Heale and William Atkinson.
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