London, 14 August 2026 (dpa/MIA) - A UK parliamentary investigation into a £5 million ($6.8 million) gift received by Nigel Farage from a crypto billionaire has resumed after he won the by-election in Clacton.

The probe into the alleged failure to register an interest was suspended after the Reform UK leader triggered the contest by resigning amid scrutiny over his and the party’s finances.

But it is now automatically running again after Farage was returned as MP for Clacton in south-eastern England in a race boycotted by the other main Westminster parties, who dismissed it as a political stunt.

Labour, the Tories and the Liberal Democrats said his victory would not draw a line under the controversy over the money he received from Thailand-based Reform donor Christopher Harborne before he was first elected to the Essex seat in 2024.

Under Commons rules, new MPs are required to register any gifts worth more than £300 they received in the previous 12 months, except where it “could not be reasonably thought by others” to relate to their political activities.

Farage has said the gift was not political and insisted he has done nothing wrong.

He did not attend the official count for the by-election after Reform UK claimed that he had been advised by police to stay away due to a “credible threat” against him.

But Essex Police said there were “no incidents or issues” in relation to the contest on Thursday or overnight and that decisions on whether to attend the declaration were for individual candidates and their security teams.

Farage won with 22,239 votes and Count Binface – the self-styled “intergalactic space warrior” persona of Jon Harvey – came second place on 9,455 votes, giving the Reform leader a majority of 12,784 and 62.82% of the vote.

This is up from his 8,405-vote majority and 46.2% when he won at the 2024 general election, with turnout down by just over 14% at 44.37%.

In a statement on Friday, an Essex Police spokesperson said: “We have a full and robust policing operation in place around the Clacton by-election, as we do with all significant elections in our county.

“Throughout polling day our officers were visible right across Clacton and the Tendring district. We visited all 51 polling stations, our officers were out and visible on foot, in vehicles and our drone team patrolled by air.

“Our aim was to ensure the people of Clacton were able to go about their daily business, that people were able to cast their vote safely and that the count took place without issue.

“We are pleased to say all of these things happened and there were no incidents or issues throughout yesterday and into the early hours of this morning. We worked closely with Tendring District Council and their security teams throughout.”

They added: “We take the safety and security of our elected officials extremely seriously and, equally, we take our policing responsibilities around the democratic process seriously too.”

Facing questions about the party’s claim of a threat on Friday, Reform chief whip Lee Anderson said Farage had not attended the count at Clacton Leisure Centre because he had been told of “some planned disruption”.

Anderson told BBC Radio 4’s "Today" programme: “Well he was told, and he said this in his speech earlier about five hours ago, that there was some planned disruption amongst I think it was some of the other candidates. I think that was the case.

“So why go there when you’ve got you know 35, sorry, 33 other other candidates who, and their teams… Why would you go there and listen to them being abusive when you can be with real people from the real world?”

Asked about the difference between disruption and a “credible threat”, Anderson said: “It’s not up to you at the BBC to decide whether or not there’s a credible threat.

“It’s up to Nigel and his security team, and that’s the end of that question.”

Anderson told BBC Breakfast he had not spoken to his party leader about the issue but said: “I believe Nigel above the police.”

The Reform UK leader pre-empted the official declaration, saying the result was an “overwhelming endorsement” of him at an event with party supporters in Essex before the count.

Farage told GB News: “Look, this is an overwhelming endorsement of me. I have had enough of being judged by mainstream media, being called a criminal.

“Maybe I haven’t filled in a piece of paper. I’m confident that I’m right, we’ll see where we go. I put this to the people of Clacton, said ‘you decide my future’, and tonight they will.”

The party leader could also face an investigation over support provided by convicted fraudster George Cottrell, a long-term ally.

If he is found to have broken the rules and a suspension of more than 10 days is imposed, it could trigger a recall petition and the prospect of Farage facing a second by-election.

Anderson said the “slate is wiped clean” in Clacton after the Reform leader was returned to his seat, but that the party would “of course” co-operate with the ongoing probe into Harborne’s gift.

The website for the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Daniel Greenberg, was updated on Friday to confirm that the inquiry is no longer suspended.

Photo: EPA