Nigel Farage silenced – and it's his own fault
An angry Nigel Farage called for a general election in front of a fake Downing Street door, but his speech got very little attention this time around.
Listen to this article
Nigel Farage thrives in the spotlight – but he's struggling to get the attention he wants right now, and it's his own fault.
When Farage announced he was standing down as the MP for Clacton on 7 July, his speech was broadcast live across most of the UK's major news channels. This week, when he called for a general election following Andy Burnham becoming prime minister, it was streamed on the Reform UK website only.
In triggering the by-election, media rules mean each of the candidates standing must get equal coverage by broadcasters. There are now 34 standing in Clacton – mostly independent, some as a joke, and none from any major party.
Farage now finds himself in a tricky situation, one which won't be resolved until after voters in Clacton go to the polls on 13 August.
"This just underscores the extent to which Reform is Nigel Farage, and they should have thought about this," says Jon Sopel.
"No broadcaster carried this announcement live because he is a parliamentary candidate in a forthcoming by-election. You'd have to give the same to everybody else if you're going to do that.
"And so, not surprisingly, his voice is disappearing into the ether."
In his speech, held in front of a black door, which some suggested was made to look like he was standing on Downing Street, Farage also made a dig at Angela Rayner's appointment as house secretary in Burnham's new Labour government.
She resigned from Keir Starmer's cabinet in September 2025 after it emerged she underpaid tax on an £800,000 flat in Hove.
But highlighting the financial affairs of other MPs is a brave move for Farage.
"I'm surprised he would want to draw attention to the purchase of houses and the like, given the questions that still remain over the £5 million he got and what that money was used for," Jon adds.
A Parliamentary Standards inquiry into a £5m gift from a crypto billionaire has been suspended while Farage is no longer an MP. If he wins the Clacton by-election, it will resume.