During the LBC phone-in, Reform’s Treasury spokesperson Robert Jenrick replied to a question about whether Nigel Farage was cowardly for not holding off until the outcome of an inquiry.
He said: “Well, I don’t think you can ever call people cowardly who call by-elections, but the point I’d make is the one I made a few minutes ago to our other caller, which is that the ultimate sanction that the the authorities in the House of Commons have, if indeed Nigel were ever found guilty, and he professes his innocence, would be to call a by-election.
“And so he just cut – he’s cut the whole thing off and said, ‘why waste the next six months or goodness knows how long?’ Maybe it’s even going to be – I saw Lucy Powell, the Labour Party deputy leader, saying it could be over a year.
“He’s cut the whole thing off and said, ‘lets have the by-election now. If that’s the worst you can do to me, bring it on! Have it now!’
“And and I do question whether the people of Clacton, you know, are somehow not informed enough to make a judgment. Nigel is already out on the streets in Clacton chatting to people. I’ve seen he’s been in pubs and cafes on the street, on the pier, in the arcade.
“He’s been he’s been making his case, and surely the people in Clacton know enough, are capable of making a judgment.”