When Nigel Farage stood down as an MP recently, it came at a very convenient time as the controversial politician was being investigated by a parliamentary watchdog over an unusual £5 million 'gift' handed to him from Thailand-based billionaire Christopher Harborne. While MPs are allowed to accept gifts from donors, they are supposed to declare if these gifts may influence their actions, especially within 12 months before their election, something Farage didn't do and then proceeded to argue for his innocence by regarding the 'gift' as "purely personal".
Seemingly in a bid to evade this investigation, Farage stepped back from Parliament and then proceeded to work to get re-elected by standing in the recent Clacton by-election - an event that saw Farage facing off against intergalactic space warrior Count Binface - and an election he was crowned as victor for overnight, meaning Farage is officially an MP again.
This means the parliamentary watchdog is able to re-open its investigation into Farage and this peculiar 'gift', with Sky News noting Farage could be suspended from Commons if he is ultimately found guilty of breaking the rules, a situation which could see another by-election happening in Clacton. If this was to occur, the current favourite is Count Binface, who secured over 20% of the total votes and only fell short to Farage and his 44% of total votes. Granted, none of the major political parties outside of Reform put forward a candidate at the by-election suggesting another election could result in stiffer competition for Count Binface.
