Chris Mason: Will the by-election strengthen Farage?

Senior leaders in Reform say other parties will not stop until the parliamentary standards commissioner’s inquiry into Farage is completed, and some want to delay the by-election.

The Liberal Democrats have suggested the government should delay appointing Farage to one of his crown roles to hold an MP from the Commons for retirement.

Clearly, the danger ministers face in doing this is to feed into the reform debate that so-called “establishment” parties are eroding the rights of the democratic race.

Let’s look at the pros and cons of this move from Faraj’s point of view.

Apparently, less than 24 hours after he was announced, the negative side to him is leading to what some see as a pointless by-election that his primary opponents are avoiding.

Is it a Prime Minister’s move to create a competition that includes the Count Benefice, the Monster Raving Loony Party and not many others? The convention says no, but then again the convention has had a lot of hype in recent years.

On the flip side for him, Farage has had his back against the wall for the past couple of months, facing a barrage of questions over funding and transparency.

He suppressed his ability to do what he loved – always get out in front of the cameras, record and often lead a national debate.

This is the act of someone who is probably missing out on better ideas.

If a by-election is likely to be the outcome of any standards commissioner’s request, Reform has concluded why not have one now – and argue for the people of Clayton that other parties care so little for their corner of Essex that they are unwilling to even take part in the election.

Even if Farage is found to have violated the rules by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner during the election, it has been suggested that this first by-election will be an important information gathering for reform.

People on Essex beaches should be prepared for attention, cameras and ballot boxes.

It is impossible to be certain whether the coming weeks and months will embolden or strengthen Farage, or accentuate his current narrow position.