Nigel Farage has landed himself in trouble with parliamentary authorities within hours of returning to the House of Commons after filming a video on the roof of the Palace of Westminster without permission.
The Reform UK leader was sworn in as MP for Clacton on Tuesday afternoon following his victory in the by-election he triggered by resigning his seat earlier this summer.
Farage marked his return by posting a 37-second video to social media captioned: “Guess who’s back.”
The footage showed him walking across the roof of the Palace of Westminster with Big Ben behind him.
But it has since emerged that Farage did not have permission from parliamentary authorities to film there.
Unauthorised filming and photography on the Parliamentary Estate is restricted, with particular sensitivity around some areas because of security and safety concerns.
A House of Commons spokesperson confirmed the rules after Farage’s video was reported.
“Unauthorised photography or filming is not permitted on the Parliamentary Estate,” they said.
“Where it is seen or reported to be happening, the individual in question will be asked to stop and reminded of the rules.
“Where breaches are observed or reported, the Serjeant at Arms will discuss with (or write to) the Member involved to clarify, remind of and re-iterate the rules.”
‘Guess who’s back’
Farage had returned to Parliament only hours earlier.
He was sworn in for a second time as the MP for Clacton at around 2.30pm after comfortably winning the constituency’s unusual summer by-election.
In the rooftop video, Farage celebrated being back at Westminster while praising the Palace of Westminster.
“Well, it’s first day back in Parliament after the by-election,” he said as Big Ben sounded behind him.
He described the building as “extraordinary” and “magnificent”, while acknowledging the enormous cost of maintaining it.
Farage also celebrated increasing his majority in Clacton and suggested he hoped to question Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
“You never know, I might get the chance to ask him a question,” he said.
Farage did not, however, appear to be in the chamber for Burnham’s lengthy appearance before MPs later that day.
The prime minister spent around three hours answering questions following his first major Commons speech since entering Downing Street.
Reform deputy leader Richard Tice questioned Burnham instead.
What are Parliament’s filming rules?
Photography and filming around Parliament are tightly controlled.
Official parliamentary guidance states that personal photography is generally restricted to designated locations, while wider publication and broadcasting are subject to additional rules and permissions.
The House of Commons says filming is not permitted elsewhere on the estate unless exceptional permission has been obtained from its Media Relations Team.
The restrictions exist partly because of security and privacy considerations.
Parliamentary guidance says images should not be taken in areas where security facilities could be visible or where filming could compromise the safety of staff, visitors or the building.
Farage’s rooftop video was published publicly on social media.
According to reports, neither Farage nor Reform UK had sought permission to record the footage in that location.
The incident is expected to result in Farage being reminded of the rules by parliamentary authorities rather than automatically triggering a formal standards investigation.
Awkward timing for Farage
The timing is particularly awkward because Farage has only just returned to the Commons following a by-election triggered by his own resignation.
He resigned as Clacton MP in July while facing scrutiny over his financial declarations.
The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards had opened an investigation into whether Farage correctly registered a £5 million gift from businessman Christopher Harborne.
That investigation was paused when Farage ceased to be an MP during the by-election campaign and is expected to resume following his return to Parliament.
Farage has denied wrongdoing and has repeatedly criticised the standards process.
He went on to comfortably win the Clacton by-election, taking 22,239 votes and 63.3% of the vote.
Count Binface finished second with 9,455 votes.
Farage returned to Westminster on Tuesday as Reform prepares for its party conference and attempts to recover from a difficult period in the polls.
His first day back has now produced an unexpected reminder of parliamentary rules.
Lee Anderson previously reprimanded over rooftop filming
There is another awkward element for Reform.
One of Farage’s senior colleagues has previously found himself in trouble for filming on the Parliamentary Estate.
Lee Anderson was reprimanded in 2023 after filming a promotional video for his television programme from a House of Commons rooftop while he was still a Conservative MP and deputy chairman of the party.
Parliament’s Standards Commissioner found that Anderson had breached rules preventing MPs from using the Parliamentary Estate for commercial purposes.
Anderson apologised.
He subsequently left the Conservatives and is now a senior Reform UK figure.
Farage’s situation is not identical.
There has been no finding by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards against him over Tuesday’s video, and the House of Commons statement indicates that unauthorised filming is ordinarily dealt with by the Serjeant at Arms reminding the MP concerned of the rules.
But after returning to Parliament following months of controversy surrounding parliamentary standards, the timing of Farage’s latest run-in with Westminster’s rulebook has inevitably attracted attention.
His comeback video was supposed to announce that Nigel Farage was back.
Within hours, parliamentary authorities were explaining the rules he should have followed while filming it.
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