Sir Mel Stride is defending his party’s decision not to stand in the Clacton by-election.
The Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, and Green Party all say they won’t field candidates.
Stride says Farage "wishes to distract" from an investigation he is currently under by the parliamentary commissioner for standards into whether he should have declared a £5m gift from Thai-based British billionaire Christopher Harbone in early 2024.
Farage – who insists he hasn’t broken the rules, resigned as an MP this week but announced at the same time that he would stand in the resulting by-election.
Live updates: https://news.sky.com/story/ann-widdecombe-death-live-murder-investigation-police-12593360
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