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Labour, the Lib Dems, the Conservatives, the Greens and Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain have confirmed they are not putting up candidates. Kemi Badenoch joins Nick Ferrari to explain how Nigel Farage could be set to run against just one other candidate, Count Binface. It comes after yesterday the Reform leader sensationally quit as MP and vowed to fight a "people versus establishment" by-election in the Essex seat amid a row over his finances and a parliamentary investigation. Farage denies any wrongdoing in the row over undeclared gifts and donations he received before he was elected. Farage also said Reform UK will foot the bill for the by-election but last night, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) told LBC that the move would be illegal. Now, Labour, the Lib Dems, the Conservatives, the Greens and Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain have agreed not to put up candidates labelling the by-election as a "circus" - meaning his only confirmed challenger so far is the satirical candidate Count Binface. Comedian Jon Harvey, who regularly runs in by-elections, including the Makerfield by-election with Andy Burnham under the pseudonym, has said he will run. Listen to the full show on the all-new LBC App: https://app.af.lbc.co.uk/btnc/thenewlbcapp #ukpolitics #nigelfarage #LBC LBC is the home of live debate around news and current affairs in the UK. Join in the conversation and listen at https://www.lbc.co.uk/ Sign up to LBC’s weekly newsletter here: https://l-bc.co/signup
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0:00
Just explain the thinking when you decided you would not choose to field a candidate up at the Essex constituency
0:05
What was the thinking behind that, Mrs Bader? Good morning. This is a fake by-election. This is a fake by-election
0:10
There's going to be a real by-election in Clacton. We will stand a candidate there
0:14
But what Nigel Farage is trying to do is distract from the fact that he didn't follow the rules
0:20
didn't declare a £5 million gift. I mean, who gets that when he should have done
0:27
The fact that he's doing this now, in my view, is pretty much him saying
0:31
I know I'm going to get done for this. I'm going to try and get ahead of it
0:35
But he didn't think it through. I don't think he actually read the rules about what happens
0:40
I think he thought he might be able to stop the investigation with a by-election saying the people of Clacton really want me
0:46
But we'll be ready for a real by-election in Clacton. But we're not going to play his game
0:51
This is a fake by-election. And he and Count Binface can duck it out
0:56
What is to be made of his characterisation as effectively this is him against the establishment, Mrs Bainall
1:02
Well, I don't think Khan Bin faces the establishment, quite frankly. It's really, really an example of Nigel Farage just cracking under pressure
1:15
What is happening is that he is facing scrutiny intensely for the first time and he doesn't like it
1:20
He had a long honeymoon where he was railing against the establishment. But Keir Starmer is on his way out
1:26
Andy Burnham, you know, seems to be on a summer holiday. It's only the Conservatives who are doing any work
1:32
All that's happening is that people are asking him to explain himself. He stopped all the press conferences he was doing
1:36
Do you remember when he was having a press conference every five minutes? The minute tough questions were being asked
1:41
and they weren't just being rude about all the other parties, he stopped. I'm very sure it's annoying for reporters to knock on the door of your children
1:51
That happens to so many of us. The scrutiny is very intense when you're in public life
1:56
but that's the price that we pay as politicians. The best way to deal with it is to be honest
2:01
He could have dealt with this, said he was sorry. Instead, he has now resigned his seat
2:05
He's no longer an MP. Is there an element here of some politicians
2:09
playing fast and loose with the electorate? We had the I could put it to you gimmick that saw Makerfield by take place to allow Andy Burnham to get back into the House We now see Nigel Farage possibly trying to play a gimmick or a stunt with the good photo of Clacton on sea Isn it a bit disrespectful
2:24
I think it is. I think it is. Makerfield was about one man's job
2:30
Clacton is now going to be about one man's ego. The Aberdeen South by-election was triggered by an MP who decided he wanted to eventually run for First Minister instead
2:40
although we won that, we made that a referendum on thousands of jobs on oil and gas and about Ed
2:45
Miliband's crazy net zero agenda that's bankrupting the country. But yes, this is disrespectful to the
2:50
electorate. What is even more disrespectful is that we had a very important vote yesterday
2:56
Labour is letting prisoners out early, including the perpetrators of sexual abuse, the grooming gang
3:02
perpetrators. They're getting released early. We had a vote on it and people didn't see what was
3:08
going on because Nigel Farage made it about him. I had a large group of ladies, victims of grooming
3:14
gangs and other sexual abuse, who wanted us to be talking about what they were dealing with
3:19
about having their abusers walking outside in front of their homes. Nobody saw that because
3:24
Nigel Farage wanted it to be about himself. That is the real problem. It's just me, me, me with him
3:30
This is all about him. He is a one-man band. And now he's made a mistake. He hadn't thought it
3:35
through. He's going to be standing against Count Binface at his by-election. Expand on the points you made, because you had a punchy article in one of the newspapers
3:42
earlier this week on the victims of crime. Just briefly explore some of the themes from
3:45
your piece with my listeners, if you would, Mrs. Badenow. Well, I just think that it is extraordinary that we are letting prisoners out early
3:53
What are we sending? What message are we sending? That you can commit crimes and you'll get
3:57
out early. Labour is not tough on crime. We need consequences for crimes. If you commit
4:02
crimes, you should be punished. Horrific crimes like the rape gang scandal, like the, you know
4:08
repeated sexual abuse of children. You should not get released early for that. And we had a vote in
4:14
Parliament where were Reform MPs? They didn't vote. You know, we had even a handful of Labour MPs
4:19
voting with us. We've won that vote. Parliament has now sent a message to the government that it
4:24
needs to deal with this. Reform MPs, not a single one of them bothered to vote because all they were
4:29
thinking about was Nigel Farage and his fake by Well you mentioned where reform MPs One of them will be actually in this studio in just over 24 hours time from 10 o in the morning Robert Jenrick Now you have called Kemi on LBC I done a little bit of presenting
4:43
Robert Jenrick is going to be doing his own show here tomorrow morning from 10. Got any advice for him, Mrs Badenock
4:48
I think he's going to be having quite a tricky session. People will be asking him why his party leader has taken this £5 million money for his own pockets
5:01
It's not for his party. The whole thing stinks. Even Robert Jenrick has questions to answer about money that he's been given
5:08
Richard Tice also has, you know, odd financial dealings that he has to explain
5:12
This is what reform will be like in government. They're not serious. They haven't got any policies
5:17
We've got a defence crisis right now. Keir Starmer's gone to NATO with no money for the defence investment plan
5:23
Reform don't even have a defence spokesman. They keep saying they're ready for government
5:27
No, what they're ready for is some more campaigning. They love all these by-elections, this circus that distracts people from the fact that the country is not being governed
5:35
I had a press conference yesterday where I took loads of questions from the press
5:39
pointing out that we have a real problem with defence. We have too much money being spent on welfare
5:45
We need to take some of that money off welfare into defence, get people into work
5:49
I answered tough questions about my policies and how I was going to find the money. Nigel Farage doesn't have any policies, doesn't want to answer any tough questions
5:56
And I don't think Robert Jenrick will either. On the theme of spending, you might not have had sight of it, so let me read you a bit of this story
6:01
Families on benefits must be given 33 hours of childcare a week, Bridget Phillips, an education secretary
6:07
will say in a speech to be given today, warning those who most need support are not getting it and are being excluded
6:14
Only parents who are both working are usually entitled to free childcare, paying for nursery places for children between the ages of nine months and four years
6:20
So now, parents on benefits, free childcare, is that something you would see the Conservatives supporting, Mrs. Bader
6:25
No absolutely not Labour are no longer the Labour Party They are the welfare party As even their welfare secretary said all Labour MPs want is to tax more people They keep asking who can they tax more to pay for more benefits If you are on benefits that means you not working So why do you need free childcare There no common sense anymore We need to bring back common sense Bridget Phillipson has been doing a terrible job as education secretary Zero percent of teachers think she doing a very good job And that why I hope that Andy Burnham moves her to the back benches and get someone better to do that job of education
7:01
secretary. Michael's in Sittingbourne, the other side, of course, of the river there. If you were in Clacton, which way would you go and why? I'd vote for Nigel. Tell me why, sir
7:11
OK, let's start off with the Tories and scandals. Let's talk about paying for duck ponds on the
7:16
expenses. Let's talk about the four million pound Labour got just before the last election
7:21
from the Cayman Islands hedge fund. No one talks about that. Well, they do, respectfully
7:25
and that's why you're mentioning it now, of course, Michael. Well, no, it's not
7:29
The media has ignored it. Well, it was. The media has ignored it. No, the duck pond ran for certainly days
7:34
in the Daily Telegraph. It went forever. That did. Yeah, that's right. But let's talk..
7:38
That was then. I appreciate that was some time ago. But let's talk about the £4 million Labour got
7:42
from the Cayman Islands hedge fund. But we have... No one's talking about that. But we did at the time, Michael
7:47
We did. We did. We did last election. Just as we talked about Keir Starmer's glasses and the use of the apartment
7:52
This is, as Kemmy Bader-Knock said, and I don't subscribe to everything Mrs Bader-Knock says, but she is right
7:57
If you come into politics, particularly if you seek senior office, you are going to have to be held to account
8:02
Of course you are. Well, he doesn't seem to want to be, Michael. Well, I think I have to disagree
8:07
Go ahead. My honest opinion is they're not standing because they want to avoid the humiliation
8:11
of another lost deposit. What? His legal team will have gone through this
8:18
with a fine tooth comb. Sorry, I'll slow down. Sorry, they don't want to lose the deposit, the Conservatives, is what you mean there
8:24
No, well, all of them, the Uniparty don't want to lose their deposit
8:28
I mean, they got 12,000 votes last time, the Conservatives, they got 28% share
8:33
That's right. You're not going to lose your deposit on that vote. Well, they didn't do very well in Makerfield, did they
8:39
No, but we're talking Clacton now, which was traditionally Conservative until Douglas Carswell
8:44
Yeah, that was some time ago. It was. But it's a big if, Nick
8:48
If he is suspended, and it's a big if, in my opinion. Of course we don't. We must let the process take its turn, of course, of course, of course
8:54
Absolutely. Exactly. I mean, these people are carrying on like it's a done deal. No, it's not
8:58
If he is suspended for any length of time, if, and it's a big if in my opinion
9:03
they've got to get 10,000 people in Clacton to say we want a recall petition
9:08
That's a mighty big deal to get. I don't think they'll do it. Because, I mean, I think they will see him. He's a victim of the establishment
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