'Nigel Farage created the £250,000 by-election chaos — so he should answer for every penny spent'

'Nigel Farage created the £250,000 by-election chaos — so he should answer for every penny spent' Nigel Farage decided to quit as MP for Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, last month and now stands in a by-election there on Thursday, a stunt said to cost the taxpayer £250,000 Nigel Farage has dumped the country with a £250,000 by-election bill for a stunt that reeks of vanity, evasion and contempt for taxpayers. He quit his seat only to stand again after rivals accused him of dodging scrutiny over a £5million gift from a Thai-based crypto billionaire. The result is a democratic farce: a near metre-long ballot paper, a record 34 candidates, Count Binface among them, and Tendring Council forced to spend scarce money on extraordinary arrangements. Farage never stops preaching about waste, bloated government and respect for the public purse. Yet when his own career is on the line, he is happy to burn through taxpayers’ cash without blinking. Clacton deserves a serious MP, not another circus built around one man’s ego. His party’s supposed crusade against waste looks utterly fraudulent. Farage called this election. He created the chaos. He should answer for every penny spent and explain why local people must pay for his latest exercise in self-preservation. Hit banks with windfall tax Together, HSBC, Lloyds, Barclays and NatWest raked in more than £29 billion in six months while families are hammered by mortgage costs, energy bills and high prices. Their profits have been swollen by interest rates staying higher for longer. The banks did not cause the crisis, but benefited handsomely from it. Andy Burnham and Chancellor John Healey should use the autumn Budget to impose a windfall tax on excess profits. This levy would take a share of earnings made in exceptional circumstances while leaving banks with billions. The money could cut energy bills and support the NHS, schools, social care and councils. Taxpayers rescued the banks when they were in trouble. Now, families need help, ministers must make them return the favour. Keep your cool with your fridge Amid the heatwaves, Britain has lost the plot over the fridge. Apples, nuts and potatoes should apparently chill out, while chocolate, tomatoes and coffee belong outside. Every kitchen has now become a rather chilly game of chance. That is the cold, hard truth.