Lee Anderson calls political rivals 'cowards' for refusing to stand in Clacton by-election

The by-election is happening after Mr Farage announced he was resigning as Clacton’s MP but would then stand to be re-elected in the subsequent by-election.

But his move has been slammed by the other political parties, all of whom have said they will not stand candidates, calling Mr Farage’s actions a ‘political stunt’.

Mr Anderson said: "It's funny how the other political parties were so desperate to get rid of Nigel Farage and Reform, but now that they have the opportunity to do so, they are running scared.

“They are terrified of facing the voters.

“That's because know they would be obliterated and Reform UK would prove that it still has the overwhelming support of the public.

“They are cowards.

“On another note, it seems suspicious to me that some of the other political parties appear so certain that the Parliamentary Standards investigation will result in a second by-election in Clacton.

“They appear to be pre-empting the decision of the investigation – why is that?

“It's obvious that these standards investigations are being used as a political tool.

“It's another establishment stitch up designed to stop Reform.

“Well we will not give up – the future of Britain is at stake."

Mr Farage has been facing growing scrutiny and a Parliamentary investigation into his financial affairs but has strongly denied that he has done anything wrong or broken the law in any way.

In May, Parliament's standards commissioner, Daniel Greenberg, opened an investigation into whether Farage broke Commons rules by not declaring the £5m from Harborne.

The Parliamentary investigation, by standards commissioner Daniel Greenberg, will be paused once the by-election begins but could be re-opened if Mr Farage is voted back into Parliament, as appears highly likely.

He said his decision to resign and fight a by-election meant he would be ‘judged by the people’ and not the establishment.

But, speaking to the BBC, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper MP (Lab) said the by-election ‘shouldn't be happening’ and accused Mr Farage of ‘throwing a political tantrum’ as a distraction.

She added: "Nobody is going to get drawn into what is a political stunt by Nigel Farage because he wants to duck and dive around the rules that apply to everyone.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch MP called it a ‘farce’ and a ‘fake election’, while Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey MP called it ‘a vanity project’ and accused Mr Farage of 'playing games to escape justice'.

He also urged the Government to block Mr Farage's resignation until the standards investigation had concluded, arguing that his constituents needed ‘all the facts before they cast their votes’.

And former Reform MP Rupert Lowe , now leader of Restore UK, said ‘’the people of Clacton do not need a media circus’.

But Reform home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf said rival parties were ‘running scared’ of Nigel Farage.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The only reason they are choosing not to field a candidate is because they know in their hearts that they have virtually no chance of beating him."