Kemi Badenoch has announced that the Conservative Party will not field a candidate in the Clacton byelection called by Nigel Farage, describing it as a 'fake' contest. Instead, the party plans to stand in a likely recall election triggered by an investigation into Farage's 'fishy finances'.
Badenoch's statement
Speaking on August 13, Badenoch said: 'We will be standing a candidate in the real byelection, which will follow the standards investigation into Nigel Farage’s fishy finances. We will not be standing a candidate in the fake byelection that Farage is causing to distract people from what is happening.' She added that Farage resigned because he is 'terrified that he’s going to be found to have done something wrong' and accused him of running away from scrutiny.
Context of the byelection
The Conservatives came second in Clacton in the 2024 general election, but held the seat with a majority of almost 25,000 in 2019. Farage, who currently represents the seat for Reform UK, triggered the byelection by resigning, which Badenoch claims is an attempt to divert attention from the investigation into his finances.
Impact and next steps
Badenoch urged Farage to hold a press conference to explain his financial dealings, stating: 'The best thing for him to have done would have been to call a press conference and explain what he did with the money, apologise if needs be, and that would have been the end of it.' She emphasised that 'no one is bigger than parliament' and that all MPs must register their interests. The Conservative leader's decision likely increases pressure on Labour to also boycott the byelection.
