UK party accuses Kemi Badenoch of running scared over MP Farage’s resignation

Lee Anderson, chairman of the Reform UK party, has accused Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch of "running scared" following her criticism of Nigel Farage's decision to resign as the Member of Parliament for Clacton. Farage's resignation is set to trigger a by-election in his constituency.

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He went on telly having a hissy fit because for the first time, he is finally having to face some scrutiny after a very long honeymoon and he cannot handle it.

Badenoch had publicly criticized Farage's move, stating at a Politico event that he was reacting to scrutiny after a "long honeymoon" and could not handle it. She emphasized that all MPs must register donations and gifts, asserting that Farage believes he is above the law. "All of us MPs have to register our donations, we have to register our gifts, nobody is above the law," Badenoch said. "He decides that he doesn’t want to do what everyone else has to do, that he is better than everybody, and now there’s an investigation."

Anderson dismissed Badenoch's remarks in an interview with GB News, suggesting the Conservative Party fears losing the Clacton seat, which he described as a "fake" contest that Reform UK will not contest. "I think this just proves that the Tories are running scared. They know they will probably lose their deposit in Clacton, they had a poor showing last time," Anderson stated. He added that Clacton was previously a safe Conservative seat and that Farage had achieved a significant swing there in the last general election.

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All of us MPs have to register our donations, we have to register our gifts, nobody is above the law. He decides that he doesn’t want to do what everyone else has to do, that he is better than everybody, and now there’s an investigation.

Anderson defended Farage, arguing that the Reform UK leader had faced intense pressure from political opponents and parts of the media. He suggested that the mainstream media targeting Farage's family had crossed a line, contributing to his anger. "There’s a fine line between the upset that Nigel felt over the past few days, few weeks and that’s sort of boiled over into a little bit of anger as well, when the mainstream media start targeting your family, they crossed the line," Anderson said.

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I think this just proves that the Tories are running scared. They know they will probably lose their deposit in Clacton, they had a poor showing last time.

Anderson also warned that if Farage were found guilty in an investigation into his finances, leading to a second by-election, it would undermine confidence in Parliament. He believes that the decision on Farage's political future should rest with the people of Clacton, not Westminster or the mainstream media.

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There’s a fine line between the upset that Nigel felt over the past few days, few weeks and that’s sort of boiled over into a little bit of anger as well, when the mainstream media start targeting your family, they crossed the line.