Farage's gamble

Plus: America's very British revolution, and can driverless cars save the pub?

Jul 07, 2026

Nigel Farage is standing down as an MP: prepare for a by-election. And, if he wins, maybe more than one.

Could we get a double by-election in Clacton? The parliamentary rules state that if a poltician 'ceases to be a member while an investigation is in progress' then the investigation is suspended 'until the Member is re-elected' So there is a world in which Nigel Farage wins the

1:41 PM · Jul 7, 2026 · 197K Views

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In the face of a barrage of criticism over undeclared gifts, the Reform UK leader took control of the narrative. Now he will fight a battle in Clacton on his own terms, which looks hard to lose. Current odds give him an 87.5% chance of victory, and the party is so confident it’s offering to pay the costs.

In his punchy address announcing the move, Farage tried to turn the debate to favourable territory, focusing on the threats his family faces and the positive side of having rich friends and acquaintances. ‘Do we really want leaders that know how to make money?’ he asked. A good question, and an awkward one for Labour’s front bench. But the money has to be made within the rules, and whether Farage has followed those is a question Parliament’s standards watchdog still has to answer.

Below you’ll find all the latest pieces from CapX, plus what we’re reading from around the web.

Marc Sidwell
Editor, CapX

Today’s Takes

Fresh thinking from CapX

America's very British revolution

Mani Basharzad

‘The American Revolution succeeded, because it was not a wholesale alteration of the British system, but an attempt to improve it.’

The history of the world is full of failed revolutions. France’s quickly descended into bloodshed and tyranny. How did America end up with the world’s oldest written constitution, still going after 250 years? By committing to British ideals of liberty under law, which let individuals and communities build the future for themselves. Read More

What Right to Buy can teach Andy Burnham

James Price

‘Before the war, only one in 10 lived in a state-owned home. By the time Thatcher came into office, it was a third of all Brits.’

In 1985, Neil Kinnock dropped Labour’s opposition to Right to Buy to make his party electable. Today Andy Burnham wants millions of new social houses, forgetting the security and prosperity home ownership brings. Any future right-wing government should extend Thatcher’s revolution to all new social homes – and then go even further. Read More

Stat of the day

Best of the Web

How Thatcher’s optimism made us richer

Stephen Bayley, The Telegraph 🔒

‘Canary Wharf was an enormous tectonic advertisement for capitalism.’

Many criticise politicians for not thinking about the long term and being too concerned with the nearest election. Margaret Thatcher bucked this trend, by catalysing the development of London’s Docklands. Critics thought the project would fail, but she’s just been proven right yet again. Read More

NHS consultants want a tax break just for them

Ross Clark, The Spectator

‘Consultants live in a bubble where the taxpayer will always stump up to pay their gold-plated pensions.’

The BMA is complaining about medical consultants suffering a 26% pay cut in real terms. That’s because consultants are in the top 2% of earners, a group that has been hammered in recent years. But that is partly to cover the cost of fat pay-outs for public sector workers, like them. Do consultants really think tax rises are only for the little people? Read More