Reform UK MP Nigel Farage has missed a meeting for a £20 million regeneration programme in his Clacton constituency to attend a private function at an upmarket cocktail bar in Newcastle, 300 miles away. The event, held at Hibou Blanc on January 30, was aimed at wooing financial backers and potential party members, according to sources.
This is the tenth time Farage has failed to attend the Clacton Town Board since his election in June 2024. The board oversees a 10-year vision to rejuvenate Clacton, one of the UK's most deprived areas. Instead, Farage was pictured entering Hibou Blanc, where a dozen oysters cost £44.50 and a salt-aged chateaubriand is priced at £95.50.
A source criticised the MP, saying: 'For an MP who proclaims to be a man of the people, this isn't a good look. He'd rather be dining out at expensive restaurants than discussing the future of his constituency.' Farage's arrival in Newcastle drew around a dozen protesters, who held signs reading 'far right swine out the Tyne'.
Since his election, Farage has earned over £1 million from side hustles, including speaking engagements in the US and VIP passes worth £10,000 for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He has also flown 56,000 miles since the general election, equivalent to more than two trips around the globe.
A spokesman for Farage defended him, stating: 'Nigel Farage is an active Member of Parliament for Clacton. He makes regular donations to charities, writes a weekly column for the local newspaper, and recently hosted a business surgery. As the leader of a political party leading in the last 222 national opinion polls, he has voted more times in the House of Commons than Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch put together since the last election.'
