Tuesday 07 July 2026 2:35 pm
| Updated:
Tuesday 07 July 2026 2:36 pm
Nigel Farage's relationship with George Cottrell is under scrutiny. PA Wire
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has announced that he will resign as an MP and stand again as a candidate in an upcoming Clacton by-election as part of what he dubbed a battle of “people versus establishment”.In a video statement where he repeatedly attacked Sky News and The Times and Sunday Times for “harassing” his family, Farage said he would quit parliament and force a vote to get the electorate to back him. He suggested he could resign and “make some real big money” or join President Donald Trump in the White House, though said he was committed to life in British politics.“Britain is broken and the public know it, and we need change,” Farage said. “This will be a people versus the establishment by-election.”He added he was the angriest he had been in his life and that living in the UK was “like living in a communist country”. His statement came as further scrutiny over his financial relations with the likes of crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, his confidante George Cottrell and other affiliates such as the Iranian-born investor Sasan Ghandehari. In May, it was revealed that Farage had received a £5m donation from Harborne. Farage at first said it was to pay for personal security before later saying the payment was a reward for campaigning in favour of Brexit. Farage said he remained “grateful” to Harborne for providing funds for security.The former UKIP leader is currently facing an investigation by the parliamentary standards commissioner over whether he broke rules for MPs by not disclosing the details of the donation. Farage’s finances under scopeOver the weekend, further questions were raised around George Cottrell, a 32-year-old aristocrat and close friend of Farage’s whose family has provided funds to Reform and has previously himself been convicted for wire fraud in the US. The Sunday Times reported that Cottrell’s donations had appeared to reach beyond personal gifts as he paid for Farage’s expenses. While Reform has lost some figures, such as David Bull, the broadcaster who resigned as the party’s chairman, the party has generally managed to retain support from the electorate. Recent City AM/Freshwater Strategy polling showed that the party held 29 per cent of the vote share while Labour was on 20 per cent and the Tories were on 21 per cent at the end of June. Reform representatives including Robert Jenrick, the Treasury spokesman, and Zia Yusuf, the home affairs spokesman, have taken a more active role in campaigning. Richard Tice, who is the husband of a former Sunday Times reporter, has stood by Farage throughout intense scrutiny.
