Nigel Farage was heckled as he was re-sworn in as an MP after the Clacton by-election.
The Reform UK leader quit his seat earlier this year in protest after facing questions over a £5million gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. He boasted he was free to splash it on Ferraris or betting on horseracing.
Facing a Commons probe over his failure to declare the seven-figure gift from the Thailand-based tycoon, Mr Farage resigned, and then spent his summer arguing with a man dressed as a bin.
Returning to Westminster, Mr Farage was roundly mocked by MPs as he signed in as representative for Clacton. After the Speaker called for the MP who “wants to take his seat” to come forward, one MP joked “who is it”, prompting laughter across the Commons.
Once Mr Farage had sworn his oath, Conservative MP for Hinckley and Bosworth Luke Evans said “until the next by-election.”
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As the former city banker entered the chamber, he was flanked by the Reform Deputy Leader Richard Tice, as well as Tory defector Andrew Rosindell.
Responding, a Labour Party spokesperson said: “Farage’s summer circus might be over, but the questions about his dodgy finances haven’t gone away. Now he’s back in Parliament, he should drop the excuses, come clean and finally take some responsibility. Fighting a bin didn’t clear his name – it just proved he had so much more to hide.”
If the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Daniel Greenberg believes Mr Farage has broken the rules, he will refer the case to the Commons Standards Committee.
If the panel decides to suspend him for at least 10 sitting days, a recall petition will be held, which will lead to a further by-election if 10% of eligible voters in Clacton sign it.
After being sworn in, Mr Farage told GB News he was “constantly under investigation”, and asked about the prospect of another by-election, said he couldn’t answer questions about it.
He said: “I throw most of them in the bin. Here is the bizarre thing, if I even answer your question, in theory as an MP, I am in contempt of the whole procedure. I’d rather not put people through it frankly, but I can’t prejudge what they’ll do”.
He won the poll with a majority of 12,784, ahead of Count Binface, the self-styled “intergalactic space warrior” persona of Jon Harvey.
All the other major political parties had boycotted the race, branding it a “gimmick” and a “stunt” to try to distract from questions about a £5million gift Mr Farage received shortly before the 2024 general election. Mr Farage’s main rival was parody candidate Count Binface.
It comes a week after it emerged the organisers of Mr Farage’s Clacton by-election victory rally – dubbed “Farage Fest” – are being investigated for failing to get permission to hold it.
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The Reform UK leader faced criticism after he failed to show up for the result of the £250,000 contest he triggered earlier this month.
Instead he appeared in the early hours of the morning in the Essex countryside several miles from the count at a “Farage fest”, which boasted alcohol, ferris wheel, DJs and several fire pits.
Tendring District Council confirmed it had refused to grant a Late Temporary Event Notice (LTEN) as the application had not been made within the legal timescale required.