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To: Reform UK
Reform UK: Donate £250,000 to the NHS
Ask Reform UK to donate £250,000 to NHS charities to match the cost of the Clacton by-election. Reform has said taxpayers should not have to bear unnecessary election costs, yet it has so far relied on election law as a reason not to pay anything. If Reform genuinely stands by that principle, it should donate the equivalent amount to NHS charities instead.
Why is this important?
Nigel Farage voluntarily resigned as the MP for Clacton on 7 July 2026, triggering a by-election in which he immediately stood again. His resignation came while the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards was investigating whether he should have declared a £5 million gift from businessman Christopher Harborne. Farage denies any wrongdoing.
By resigning as an MP, Farage caused that parliamentary investigation to be paused. After winning the Clacton by-election on 14 August, the investigation resumed. Farage therefore returned to essentially the same position he had been in before the election, but only after an additional taxpayer-funded election had taken place.
Farage had promised that Reform UK would pay the estimated £250,000 cost of the by-election, saying that taxpayers should not have to bear the expense. However, the Government subsequently confirmed that Reform could not directly pay for the administration of a parliamentary election under the relevant election-funding rules.
If Reform UK genuinely believes the taxpayer should not bear the cost of a by-election triggered voluntarily by its own leader, it should honour the principle behind Farage's promise. We are therefore asking Reform UK to donate £250,000 to NHS charities, equivalent to the cost Farage himself said Reform intended to cover.
