Nigel Farage has been sworn in as a Member of Parliament after securing victory in the Clacton by-election. The leader of Reform UK took his seat in the House of Commons on Tuesday as Parliament returned from its summer recess.
Farage was accompanied into the chamber by his deputy, Richard Tice, and fellow MP Andrew Rosindell. He swore the oath to the King on the Bible and signed the official record before briefly speaking with Speaker Lindsay Hoyle.
The by-election followed Farage's resignation from the House of Commons in July amidst scrutiny of his financial affairs. At the time, he characterized the upcoming contest as a confrontation between himself and the 'establishment'.
The election campaign was characterized by a lack of candidates from the major parties. Farage ultimately faced competition from the novelty candidate Count Binface. Farage received 22,239 votes, while his rival garnered 9,455 votes.
Both the Conservative and Labour parties indicated they were awaiting the outcome of a parliamentary investigation into a £5 million gift Farage received from crypto-billionaire Christopher Harborne. Farage has maintained that the funds did not require declaration. However, a finding by the standards committee that necessitates a suspension long enough to trigger a recall petition could lead to another by-election.
The investigation by the standards commissioner into the allegations has resumed following a pause during Farage's absence from the Commons. The standards commissioner had previously paused the investigation while Mr. Farage was not a member of the House.