Nigel Farage has revealed he underwent surgery just a day before the death of Ann Widdecombe. The Reform UK leader admitted he secretly went “under the knife” for abdominal surgery the day before the former Express columnist was killed.
He said: “The spooky thing is, of course, she was killed in the middle of defending me. She’d done two interviews that morning. Had another one coming up, all defending me. That’s a very, very strange feeling. I adored her.”
No Details on Surgery
The Brexit architect did not reveal why he needed the abdominal surgery or provide further details about the operation.
Mr Farage made the revelation while campaigning to win back his Clacton seat in the by-election he triggered after resigning as an MP last month.
Record Number of Candidates
Reform UK will face a record 33 rival candidates in the by-election he triggered in protest at media and parliamentary scrutiny of his finances and backers.
The party’s cash has come under the spotlight in recent weeks, and the Metropolitan Police is looking into whether donors might have circumvented restrictions on the sources of political funding.
The main Westminster parties are boycotting the Clacton by-election, dismissing it as a stunt by the Reform UK leader, leaving joke candidate Count Binface and actor-turned-politician Laurence Fox as his highest-profile opponents.
Mr Farage wanted the contest to be a “people vs the establishment” showdown, but he is now facing three opponents from the Official Monster Raving Loony Party and an array of independents.
Tendring District Council said a total of 34 candidates are standing in the August 13 by-election, which is believed to be a record for a parliamentary contest. The council said the previous record is understood to have been 26 candidates, set at the Haltemprice and Howden by-election in July 2008.
Tory Sir David Davis similarly resigned his own seat to fight a by-election, which was also ignored by the main Westminster parties.
