Why has Nigel Farage refused to stand in the Peterborough by-election?

Politics Explained: The recall of Labour’s Fiona Onasanya has left an opening for a new MP, but the leader of the Brexit Party says he is too busy to put himself forward

On the day of the Brexit Party’s launch last month, it seemed likely to win the largest share of the vote in the European elections.

Long before then, there had been speculation that, if there were a by-election in Peterborough, Nigel Farage might stand as a candidate – with a good chance of winning.

It was nine months ago that he told The Daily Telegraph: “The idea that I’m going to stand in Peterborough is utter rubbish.” But that was before Fiona Onasanya, the city’s Labour MP, had even begun her trial.