That’s an interesting one, hadn’t heard that before. I did read that the resignation has to be nodded through but that was more by the PM or parliament. It’s not something I remember seeing before.
I suspect that as with their politics, Reform may have over-simplified this in their own minds.
I now realise the questionable assumption in my thinking. I had assumed Farage/Reform would have done some due diligence before embarking on this course of action. It now looks to me that, somewhat incredibly, they did not do their homework. Or is this, as suggested, something from a Trumpian playbook? That is, ignore the rulebook and just loudly assert.
Under a Resolution of the House of 2 March 1624, Members of Parliament cannot directly resign their seat.
Death, disqualification and expulsion are the only means by which a Member’s seat may be vacated during the lifetime of a Parliament. There are two such offices that are used for disqualification: Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds and of the Manor of Northstead.
What is this tomfoolery? Seriously it is time for a parliamentary overhaul.
That would be fantastic, given there was a low turnout in 24 when Farage won and, I seem to recall, he got less than half the votes, Binface stands a very good chance.
Doesn’t that cast some doubt on Burnhams new seat. It was given up by the previous incumbent.
Indeed, exactly what I was thinking. Under what terms was Josh Simons’ resignation made/accepted? And if Parliament /government /Starmer could have legally blocked, would they not have?
I assume the procedure above was followed.
But is a very old statute so probably due for reform (with a small “r”)
It doesn’t happen all that often though i think, on average.
[quote=“marko, post:338, topic:55990”]
I can’t fathom his intentions
I think his intentions have been scuppered.
I don’t think he considered other parties not standing, its taken the wind out of his sails and has taken away the ’ protest ’ element of any vote cast. It’s hardly a protest if there’s only one candidate.
He calls himself ’ anti - establishment, a man of the people’, a public school educated stockbroker with 5 houses!!!
And we can see what happening in the States. Lowest rating ever, I believe of a president, and unless he prevents mid - terms in November or somehow stops people voting, he’s going to lose the senate.
This ‘tomfoolery’ is a system working with checks and balances built-in, apparently, though not always widely advertised.
From The Guardian:
" The £5m gift to Nigel Farage by a cryptocurrency billionaire was reported to the National Crime Agency by bankers who were concerned it may have been laundered money, the Guardian can reveal."
Crypto being used for money laundering? No wonder the banks and governments hate it, they like to be running those operations.
Vote Binface!
Vote early and vote often!
Worse than that (for him) as he’ll be forced to campaign against novelty candidates like Binface and the Monster Raving Loony party or not campaign at all. All attention will be on him and his difficulties over the summer recess, aka the silly season, when there’s nothing else going on. Plus, of course, as soon as he takes his seat any investigation is resumed.
And me!
Far from it. They can see the game he wants to play and they’ve taken their ball off the pitch. He’s claiming that he’s taking his case to the people so that they can judge but he’s oddly omitted the part about providing any evidence upon which any judgement can be made.
The other parties are denying him the opportunity to claim a “popular” victory and then try to discredit the standards committee investigation into his funding. He’s simply going to look very silly now.
Laurence Fox has announced he’s standing.
Or very crooked - trying to dodge a Parliamentary investigation.
Whoop de do. 
The Monster Raving Loony Party are also in so it could be a four-way split for fringe parties. 