Nigel Farage Skips Crucial Clacton Regeneration Meeting for Donor Event
Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage has sparked controversy by missing a key meeting for a £20 million "Love Clacton" regeneration programme to attend a private donor event 300 miles away in Newcastle. The Mirror exclusively reveals that Farage, the MP for Clacton, chose to schmooze financial backers at the upmarket Hibou Blanc cocktail bar on January 30 rather than participate in discussions about revitalising one of Britain's most deprived areas.
Tenth Absence from Clacton Town Board
This marks the tenth time Farage has failed to attend meetings of the Clacton Town Board since his election in June 2024. Minutes from Tendring District Council show he has repeatedly sent "apologies" for his absence, with Reform councillor Peter Harris attending one meeting "on his behalf." The 10-year "Love Clacton" initiative aims to deliver a vision for rejuvenating the Essex constituency, where a neighbourhood ranks among the poorest 1% in the country.
Instead of focusing on local regeneration, Farage was pictured entering Hibou Blanc in Newcastle's Bigg Market, where 12 Lindisfarne oysters sell for £44.50 and a salt-aged chateaubriand costs £95.50. A source criticised the move, stating, "For an MP who proclaims to be a 'man of the people', this isn't a good look. He'd rather be dining out at expensive restaurants than discussing the future of his constituency."
Protests and Backlash
Farage's arrival in Newcastle attracted around a dozen protesters, who brandished signs with slogans like "far right swine out the Tyne" as he stepped from a black Range Rover. The restaurant itself has faced online backlash, with TripAdvisor reviews criticising its "far right atmosphere." One reviewer wrote, "Some might call the atmosphere right. I call it far right."
Since being elected, Farage has earned over £1 million on top of his £93,904 MP salary, through lucrative side-hustles that have earned him the nickname "Nine Jobs Nigel." He has made multiple trips to the US for speaking engagements in Michigan, Arizona, and New York, and accepted £10,000 worth of freebies for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, including VIP passes and hotel stays.
Constituent Frustration
Locals in Clacton express frustration with their MP's priorities. Jonathan Robert, 64, said, "Farage uses Clacton for his own political purposes. It doesn't seem as if he has much interest in representing constituents." The area struggles with empty shops and severe deprivation, prompting Tendring Council to agree on a £126 million plan to tackle the crisis.
Elderly residents Tom Wade, 86, and his wife Heather, 83, voiced strong disapproval. Heather stated, "He's a rude, ignorant man. I will never vote for him. He's up Trump's a**e. He's not down here with the people enough."
Farage's Defence and Jet-Set Lifestyle
A spokesman for Nigel Farage defended his record, saying, "Nigel Farage is an active Member of Parliament for Clacton. He makes regular donations to charities, writes a weekly column for the local newspaper, and recently hosted the Clacton business surgery in the constituency. As the leader of a political party leading in the last 222 national opinion polls, he has also voted more times in the House of Commons than Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch put together since the last election."
However, records show Farage has flown 56,000 miles since the general election—equivalent to more than two trips around the globe—enjoying a jet-set lifestyle of luxury hotels, VIP grand prix tickets, and high-paying speaking deals. In Abu Dhabi, he posed with billionaire Reform tycoon Nick Candy and Alpine racing team boss Flavio Briatore, while Clacton's high street continues to decline.
The voters of Clacton will ultimately judge Farage's commitment at the next election, but for now, his absence from critical local meetings raises serious questions about his focus as an MP.
