There is a possibility Mr Farage will have to face a second by-election in just a few weeks
Half of Britons think Nigel Farage should face a second by-election if a probe into his finances finds he broke the rules, just days after the Reform UK leader was re-elected as the MP for Clacton.
In a blow for Mr Farage, 49 per cent think he should be forced to face a second contest if he is found to have broken parliamentary rules.
A new poll, by More in Common, found that just 34 per cent think he should not.
The Reform UK leader had resigned after facing scrutiny over his and the party’s finances, but his by-election victory means the probe into the alleged failure to register an interest – which was suspended when he stood down – has now resumed.
Its resumption means there is a possibility Mr Farage will have to face a second by-election within weeks.
His decision to force a contest followed continued questions about a £5m donation he received from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne and gifts from a convicted criminal, George Cottrell.
He was returned as the MP at around 6am on Friday morning, winning more than 22,000 votes in a contest that was boycotted by the major parties who had claimed it was a political stunt.
He sought to frame his by-election victory as a battle of “the people versus the Establishment”, following questions over his financial affairs.
But polling shows 54 per cent of voters believe Farage is being treated like any other MP, compared to just 29 per cent who think he is being singled out.
Meanwhile, by a margin of 39 per cent to 15 per cent, voters think that the by-election was a good result for the Reform UK leader.
Luke Tryl, UK Director at More in Common, said: “If one of Farage’s aims in calling this by-election was to motivate supporters and project confidence, it seems to have proven quite successful: Britons tend to think that the result was a victory for Farage, and among Reform’s own voters four in five say that it was a good result for him.
“Yet the public are less aligned with Farage’s hopes that winning the support of the people of Clacton might put the donations row to bed. If Farage is seen to have broken the rules, Britons tend to say he should face a second by-election. Beyond Reform’s own supporters, few think that this by-election lets him off the hook, or that he is being unfairly targeted.
“So while it seems the public see Clacton as a victory for Reform, most don’t see it as a vindication of Farage’s position on the finance row.”
Within hours of the result in Clacton, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards confirmed its investigation has now resumed.
Under Commons rules, new MPs are required to register any gifts worth more than £300 they received in the previous 12 months, except where the gift “could not be reasonably thought by others” to relate to their political activities.
Mr Farage has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and said that he was not required to register the £5m “gift” because it was purely personal.
But, if the probe concludes with a recommendation that the former Ukip leader be suspended from Parliament for more than 10 days, it could trigger a second by-election.
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies