00:00I think it's a typical ballsy move by one of the ballsyest politicians we've ever seen,
00:05certainly the ballsyest politician of my generation.
00:07Bald words from the bald Kent County Council leader, who, despite running one of Reform's
00:13first councils and England's largest, she admitted she had no idea the leader was set to resign as an MP.
00:21That's the wonderful thing about being a reformer.
00:24Every day is a school day, and every day there's a possibility for a different way of doing democracy,
00:32and I think that's what we've seen today.
00:33So no, I didn't have any idea what Nigel was going to announce at 2pm this afternoon,
00:37but as soon as he said it, I could see exactly why he'd chosen to do it the way he's
00:41done it.
00:42In a live stream on X, the leader of Reform UK quit his job as an MP in his Clacton
00:48-on-Sea constituency,
00:49triggering a by-election that every major party has declared they won't be putting a candidate forward.
00:57But this by-election, which Farage has billed as being the people versus the establishment,
01:02might not be the only one in the Essex town.
01:06Facing scrutiny over his finances, the parliamentary standards can impose a long suspension as punishment,
01:13which could trigger another by-election.
01:15Well, I'm just going to repeat what Nigel said in his announcement.
01:18He's done nothing wrong, he's broken no laws, he's used no public money.
01:24So really, I think what we're seeing here is a witch hunt by an establishment
01:29that is absolutely terrified of the rise of reform.
01:33Over a year ago now, Farage and his candidates in Kent managed to paint County Hall turquoise.
01:40So what do residents in Maidstone think?
01:45He's done it at his own risk.
01:48I mean, obviously, perhaps didn't think about it hard enough, but I think he'll get through.
01:53I don't know, resign and don't come back.
01:55If there are questions to be answered, then maybe he should just answer those questions
02:02because he's already been elected.
02:04I was hoping to say something positive about him,
02:06but the only thing I can really say to you is that Camp Bimface has got my vote.
02:11Megan Shaw for Kame TV in Maidstone.
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