Nigel Farage is expected to reclaim the Clacton seat in the by-election he triggered himself—but the Reform UK leader now concedes that surrendering the constituency was a serious gamble.
Last month, Mr Farage announced online that he was stepping down, describing the decision as giving the British establishment “two fingers”. The move came after months of allegations that he had improperly accepted donations in breach of the rules governing UK Members of Parliament.
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The announcement stunned Westminster. Mr Farage had won Clacton at the 2024 general election only after eight attempts, and he has consistently insisted that he did nothing wrong.
The Guardian had earlier reported that Thailand-based cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne donated £5m to Mr Farage.
The Parliamentary Standards Commissioner subsequently launched an investigation, raising the possibility that Mr Farage could be suspended.
By forcing a by-election, the Reform leader believed he was getting ahead of the inquiry and allowing voters to pass judgment before it reached a conclusion.
Events have not unfolded entirely as he intended. The investigation was suspended rather than closed and is expected to resume if, as anticipated, Mr Farage wins the seat again.
There is another complication: none of the established parties is contesting the by-election, leaving Mr Farage to face an unusually varied field of challengers.
Leading that group is Count Binface.
Count Binface said in his manifesto that he will build at least one affordable home
True to his name, Count Binface campaigns with a bin on his head and presents himself as a satirical alien from the planet Sigma IX.
He is an experienced election campaigner, having previously stood against Theresa May, Boris Johnson and current Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
His manifesto includes plans to nationalise (singer) Adele, construct at least one affordable home and place a 99p price cap on 99s—an ice cream treat whose name supplies the punchline.
The Official Monster Raving Looney Party has fielded three candidates, among them party leader Howling Laud Hope and Baron von Thunderclap. Speaking to RTÉ News, Baron von Thunderclap said his chief concern was “protecting the Dodo”.
Clacton by-election candidate Baron Von Thunderclap is one of 34 vying for the position
Read more:Voters go to polls in Clacton by-election triggered by FarageCould Count Binface actually beat Nigel Farage?
In total, 34 candidates have been declared, producing the longest ballot paper in British electoral history. Printing it cost four times as much as a standard ballot paper.
Yet if Mr Farage hoped to frame the contest as ordinary voters versus the political establishment, some Clacton residents feel the town has instead become the punchline to a national joke, with so many novelty candidates on the ballot.
One local voter supporting Count Binface said Mr Farage was “very rarely here” and had placed Clacton on the map “for all the wrong reasons”.
A Reform supporter said she was deeply frustrated, arguing that politicians were all much the same and that she saw little reason to expect meaningful change.
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The sheer number of candidates has also made the contest difficult to cover. Every report must account for all 34 names whenever the by-election is discussed, a requirement that has helped keep coverage relatively restrained.
That may prove another frustration for Mr Farage, who could have expected to command considerable attention during an otherwise quiet period in British politics.
His ambitions have not disappeared. The Brexit campaigner has spoken of his desire to reach Number 10, while a recent poll placed him on 73% and Count Binface on 20%.
Still, for a politician who hopes one day to become UK Prime Minister, there is an awkward question hanging over the contest: does he really want his electoral record to show that, in the by-election he created, his main rival was a man dressed as a bin?
The decision now rests with the voters.
