LONDON — A special by-election will be held on August 13 to fill the parliamentary seat vacated by Nigel Farage, the head of Britain’s populist Reform UK Party, according to the local governing authority, which made the announcement on Friday.
Farage stepped down from his seat earlier this week amid a parliamentary investigation into millions of pounds worth of gifts he allegedly received from wealthy donors. In explaining his resignation, Farage said he wanted the voters in his southeast England constituency to be the ones to evaluate his behavior — rather than what he described as a liberal “establishment” that he claimed was working to undermine him.
With rival parties declaring they will sit out the election — dismissing it as nothing more than a publicity stunt — Farage is expected to be the only major candidate on the ballot.
