Category Archives: breaking

Nigel Farage Quits As MP To Trigger By-Election Amid Row Over His Finances

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Nigel Farage has dramatically quit as an MP to trigger a by-election in his Clacton seat.

The Reform UK leader made the shock announcement amid the mounting furore over his personal finances.

He said it would be a “people versus the establishment” contest as he accused the media and his political opponents of waging a vendetta against him.

In a statement broadcast on social media, Farage said: “I will fight to win. I will fight to continue the political revolution that Reform has started, and I would say this to you, the voters of Clacton, if I win, you win, because if I lose, they win, and we will never with the two old parties get the type of fundamental change that we need to fix broken Britain.”

Farage has been under pressure since it emerged in April that he had received a £5 million gift from Thailand-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne shortly before he became an MP.

Daniel Greenberg, the parliamentary commissioner for standards, is carrying out a probe into whether Farage should have declared it – and could recommend he be suspended from the Commons.

By taking matters into his own hands, the Reform boss may be trying to get ahead of the investigation by attempting to secure a fresh mandate from voters in Clacton, who elected him with a majority of 8,400 at the last general election.

Greenberg has also been urged to investigate the financial support Farage accepted from convicted criminal George Cottrell before be entered parliament.

According to the Sunday Times, Cottrell – known as “posh George” – provided funding for Farage’s staffing and security, as well as the use of a London townhouse, before he became an MP.

Under parliamentary rules, new MPs need to register any gifts worth more than £300 they received in the previous 12 months, except where the gift “could not be reasonably thought by others” to relate to their political activities.

Farage has denied any wrongdoing and claimed he is the victim of “an establishment hit job”.

Allies of the Reform leader have described him as “tired” and “stressed” as the pressure mounts, and suggested he needs a break from politics.

His dramatic announcement came a day after he clashed with a Sky News reporter at Heathrow Airport as he returned from America.

Asked if it was a mistake not to declare the financial support he received from George Cottrell, Farage replied: “You tell your bosses, you harass my family any more there will be serious consequences. That’s what your organisation has done this morning. Go away.”

Sky has denied approaching anyone in Farage’s family about the story, which the Reform leader dismissed as “an outright lie”.

In his statement, he said: “The issue with my daughter was the final straw. Enough is enough. And I thought over the weekend, what shall I do?

“I could go out and try and make some real big money. I could go to the USA, where I’ve got plenty of offers. And then I thought, why should I be judged today, or in history in the future, by Sky News and their ilk?

“Why should they be the people that decide my fate? When, as I repeat, I have done nothing wrong.

“I thought about it hard and I have decided today I will resign as a member of parliament for Clacton-on-Sea, thereby forcing a by-election, which should happen, I hope, in short order.

“Now I’ve decided that the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions. This will be a people versus the establishment by-election. It’s a chance to stick two fingers up to the entire establishment to frankly tell them where to go, and that is why I will be putting my name forward to stand in this by-election.”

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

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Defence Secretary John Healey Resigns After Spending Bust-Up With Keir Starmer

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Defence secretary John Healey has resigned following a bust-up with Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves over spending on Britain’s armed forces.

In a blistering letter to the prime minister, he said he had been left with “no other option” after disagreement over the government’s long-delayed Defence Investment Plan (DIP).

As well as Starmer, he also accused the chancellor of blocking his pleas for more money for the Ministry of Defence.

He revealed that No.10 and the Treasury wanted to increase defence spending from 2.6% of gross domestic product (GDP) next year to just 2.68% in 2030 – well short of the 3% Healey wanted.

Healey said: “This new era for defence required further investment through the Defence Investment Plan.

“The excellent and extensive cross-government work that completed in January – overseen by you, me and the chancellor – confirmed the scale of the challenge and the rising demands on defence.

“Since then, you have been unable, and the Treasury has been unwilling, to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats.”

He said that “demands on defence have increased still further”, pointing to the Iran war, threats from Russia and escalation in the Ukraine conflict.

Healey said his resignation letter was one “I never expected to write, and I do so now with great regret and reluctance”.

He said the proposed DIP, which he was shown on Monday afternoon, “falls well sort of what is required for defence and the country at this dangerous time”.

“You know what defence needs,” Healey said. “You made the argument for this powerfully in your speech at the Munich Security Conference back in February.

“Without a DIP that meets the moment in this way, I am being forced to make decisions that would reduce the readiness of our Forces and increase the risk to personnel on operations, and could make the country less safe.

“After explaining to you that I would not be able to accept a DIP settlement that does not give our Forces the resources they need, I am now left with no other option than to submit my resignation as your defence secretary.”

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Follow HuffPost UK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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Former SNP Chief Pleads Guilty To Embezzling £400,000 From Party

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Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell has been remanded into custody after pleading guilty to embezzling £400,310.65 from the party at the High Court in Edinburgh.

The 62-year-old, who is the estranged husband of former SNP leader and Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon, admitted the charges on Monday morning. He will be sentenced on June 23.

He was charged with embezzling the funds from the party between August 2010 and October 2022.

Murrell was the SNP’s chief executive between 2001 and 2023, the same year in which he was first arrested as part of Operation Branchform, a Police Scotland probe into the party’s finances. He was charged in April, 2024.

Sturgeon was also arrested and questioned by detectives, but was never charged with any offences.

The indictment against Murrell included allegations that in 2020 he used party funds to buy a £124,550 motorhome for his own personal use.

He and Sturgeon had previously been one of the most powerful couples in UK politics.

She served for more than eight years as first minister and SNP leader, while Murrell was the party’s chief executive.

In January last year, Sturgeon announced she and Murrell had “decided to end” their marriage after nearly 15 years.

Responding to Murrell’s guilty plea, Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Houston of Police Scotland said: “Peter Murrell has shown utter contempt for the high public trust placed in him as the chief executive of a political party and his position in the wider political establishment of Scotland for many years.

“He abused his privileged position with access to Scottish National Party funds to divert cash into his own accounts and bankroll the lavish lifestyle he craved but could not afford.”

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Follow HuffPost UK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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Keir Starmer Tells His Cabinet He Will Not Quit Despite Calls For Him To Resign

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Keir Starmer has told his cabinet he will not quit despite mounting calls for him to resign as prime minister.

The PM told the weekly meeting of his top team: “The country expects us to get on with governing. That is what I am doing and what we must do as a cabinet.”

In a direct message to those who want his job, he said Labour “has a process for challenging a leader and that has not been triggered”.

Starmer’s comments come despite more than 80 Labour MPs calling publicly for him to go and the resignation this morning of a government minister.

Four cabinet ministers also told him yesterday that he cannot survive as PM.

The PM said: “As I said yesterday, I take responsibility for these election results and I take responsibility for delivering the change we promised.

“The past 48 hours have been destabilising for government and that has a real economic cost for our country and for families.

“The Labour Party has a process for challenging a leader and that has not been triggered.

“The country expects us to get on with governing. That is what I am doing and what we must do as a cabinet.”

His comments pile pressure on his leadership rivals to break cover and directly challenge him.

Any challenger would need the support of 81 MPs to trigger a contest, and Starmer would automatically go on the ballot paper.

However, Labour MPs are deeply split over who should take over, which is helping to keep the PM in his job for now.

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First Government Minister Resigns And Calls On Starmer To Quit

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A government minister has resigned and called on Keir Starmer to set out a timetable for his departure.

Miattah Fahnbulleh was the minister for devolution, faith and communities, and has now added to the growing calls for the prime minister to quit.

She told Starmer: “The public does not believe that you can lead this change – and nor do I.”

More than 80 Labour MPs have now called on the prime minister to step down following the party’s drubbing at the elections in England, Scotland and Wales last week.

The prime minister has insisted he will not “walk away” from his job in No.10, and even claimed at the weekend he wants a decade in power.

However, Fahnbulleh has become the first government minister to officially give Starmer the push.

In a letter to the prime minister shared on social media, she said: “We have not acted with the vision, pace and ambition that our mandate for change demands of us. Nor have we governed as Labour Party clear about our values and strong in our convictions.”

She added: “Our country faces enormous challenges and people are crying out for the scale of change that this requires.

“The public does not believe that you can lead this change – and nor do I.

“Therefore I urge you to do the right thing for the country and the Party and set a timetable for an orderly transition so that a new team can deliver the change we promised the country.”

It comes after several senior cabinet ministers reportedly told Starmer to resign in private.

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This morning I sent my letter of resignation to the Prime Minister.

I urge the Prime Minister to do the right thing for the country and the Party and set a timetable for an orderly transition. pic.twitter.com/u5UArjv7uR

— Miatta Fahnbulleh (@Miatsf) May 12, 2026

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This morning I sent my letter of resignation to the Prime Minister.

I urge the Prime Minister to do the right thing for the country and the Party and set a timetable for an orderly transition. pic.twitter.com/u5UArjv7uR

— Miatta Fahnbulleh (@Miatsf) May 12, 2026

Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

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