Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, walked into a birthday party while speaking to voters in Clacton. He was persuading a local to support him at the August 13 by-election when he learned of the celebration. Farage decided to take a look and walked straight up to the bash, shocking those celebrating.
The birthday man shook his hand and said: "It's a pleasure to meet you… Good luck to you." A family member told Farage "see you later" as he turned to leave. Farage called the encounter "great fun."
By-Election Context
The light-hearted interlude comes during a tricky campaign. Farage resigned as MP for Clacton earlier this month to force the by-election, which he says will "stick two fingers up to the entire establishment." None of the major parties are fielding a candidate, leaving Count Binface and other joke candidates as his main opponents.
Farage is fighting to restore his political authority after a string of reports about his finances. The Parliamentary Standards Commissioner is looking into allegations he failed to properly declare a £5 million "gift" from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne in January 2024.
Donation Scrutiny
The Metropolitan police are investigating £500,000 in donations to Reform UK from Fiona Cottrell, mother of convicted fraudster George Cottrell. Two separate donations of £250,000 were sent in May 2024. The Guardian reported that George transferred more than $2 million to his mother before her donations, including a $1.4 million deposit and two tranches of over $300,000 each. Fiona attributed the money as coming from her son when bankers asked.
Among the donations is £1 million given by Fiona to Britain Means Business, a company controlled by Reform deputy leader Richard Tice, with half transferred to Reform days later. Reform UK, Farage, and George Cottrell have consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Police Investigation
The Met issued a statement saying: "An investigation was launched in February 2025 after a referral was made to the Metropolitan police by the Electoral Commission relating to donations made to a political party ahead of the 2024 UK general election. Detectives from the Met's special inquiry team are investigating alleged offences under section 61 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. Early investigative advice has been sought from the Crown Prosecution Service and two people have so far been interviewed under caution. No arrests have been made."
