Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has secured victory in the Clacton by-election, despite a dispute over claims that police warned him not to attend the count because of a “credible threat” against him.
Mr Farage received 22,239 votes, while Count Binface finished second with 9,455. The Reform leader’s majority was 12,784 votes, equivalent to 62.82% of the vote.
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That marked a significant increase on the 8,405-vote majority and 46.2% share he achieved when he won the seat at the 2024 general election. The result was announced shortly after 6am.
Turnout stood at 44.37%, a fall of just over 14%.
Count Binface reacts after the declaration for the Clacton by-election
Count Binface said he was “the winning candidate of the candidates who bothered to turn up for the results” and claimed the outcome had “humiliated” Mr Farage.
In a video posted on X, the candidate said: “I can officially say that I am the winning candidate of the candidates who bothered to turn up for the results.
“That’s right, 9,455 actual votes. Just eight weeks ago in Makerfield, I got 95.
“That means I’ve got against Nigel Farage 10,000% more votes than I got against Andy Burnham. What does that tell you?
I came first in the Clacton by-election! Of the candidates who bothered to turn up for the results. Here is my victory speech! pic.twitter.com/PBaLO10P2j
— Count Binface (@CountBinface) August 14, 2026
“Well, it tells you that Nigel, who said that he didn’t want to be humiliated, maybe has been.
“As for me, I’m over the moon. I’m over your moon. I’m over my moons. And what comes next? Well, we shall see.
“But you know what? We know this for a fact. Over one in four people in this constituency would rather have Count Binface as their MP than the leader of Reform UK, and I’m just getting started.”
Mr Farage had already told supporters that he had won “fairly convincingly”, describing the result as an “overwhelming endorsement” of his leadership.
However, he said he would not attend the official declaration at Clacton Leisure Centre after Essex Police allegedly told him there was an “organised campaign to disrupt and degrade the result”.
A Reform UK spokesperson later said: “Essex Police advised Nigel not to attend the count… due to a credible threat against him.”
However, the Press Association understands that Essex Police did not instruct Mr Farage, or any other candidate, to stay away from the count.
An Essex Police spokesperson said: “We have a proportionate and robust policing operation to ensure the safety and security of all participants in the count.”
The spokesperson added that the count “took place without issue” and that there had been “no incidents or issues throughout yesterday and into the early hours of this morning”.
Counting is under way in the by-election
Speaking at an all-night “Farage-fest” organised by Reform in Essex, Mr Farage said he would not attend the count.
“I’m not scared of these people, far from it,” he told supporters.
“But I’m damned if I’m going to stand on a stage, having won a resounding victory, a ringing endorsement of all that I’ve tried to fight for, and you’ve tried to fight for, and be demeaned and humiliated by nobodies, and I will not sadly be attending the count.”
Watch: Nigel Farage tells supporters he won’t attend the count declaration
Mr Farage had been due to deliver what was billed as a “major speech” in Clacton at 10.30am. Reform later cancelled the appearance, saying he had “already commented on the expected result of the by-election”.
Hours before the formal declaration, Mr Farage said in a speech: “The verdict is now in, and it is a convincing, overwhelming win with more votes than we got in the general election of 2024.”
He had earlier told GB News: “Look, this is an overwhelming endorsement of me. I have had enough of being judged by mainstream media, being called a criminal.
“Do you know, if I made one sin, if I haven’t filled in a piece of paper, I’ve broken no law, I’ve broken no tax law, I’ve taken no public money, I don’t even own a motorhome.”
In a post on X this morning, he wrote: “The result in Clacton speaks for itself.”
The result in Clacton speaks for itself. pic.twitter.com/iQeaYxT35J
— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) August 14, 2026
Council acting returning officer and chief executive Ian Davidson said he had not known Mr Farage would miss the count until the Reform UK leader announced it during his address to supporters.
“It is up to individual candidates’ wish to or do not wish to attend the count, but as far as we’re concerned we will be able to complete this count successfully and safely for all the candidates, my staff here and all the visitors,” Mr Davidson said.
“I am not aware of what has been said, or what that threat is.”
Mr Davidson said Essex Police had appointed an assistant chief constable to oversee a “Gold Command” policing operation.
He said he did not believe the threat was serious enough to justify cancelling the count, although he declined to comment further on security matters.
The by-election was prompted by Mr Farage’s resignation amid scrutiny of donations linked to cryptocurrency tycoon Christopher Harborne. Labour and the Conservatives said the victory would not resolve the controversy.
A total of 32 of the record-34 candidates lost their deposit following the by-election result
A record 34 candidates contested the seat, with satirical candidate Count Binface emerging as Mr Farage’s principal challenger after the other mainstream parties chose not to stand.
Speaking to Sky News, Count Binface, a character created by comedian Jonathan David Harvey, raised the prospect of another by-election if Mr Farage were found to have breached parliamentary rules.
“You just said at the beginning of this interview that Nigel Farage is claiming victory, but in that case it’s going to be a two-legged match like the Carabao Cup or the Cold War, because we’re going to be back again in a few weeks aren’t we? We’ll see what happens then,” he said.
He added: “Even if I got to 12%, so one-in-eight people in Clacton would rather vote for a space warrior shaped like a bin than Nigel Farage.”
Before leaving Westminster, Mr Farage was under investigation by parliamentary standards commissioner Daniel Greenberg over a £5 million gift from Mr Harborne, received before he took his seat in the Commons.
Commons rules require new MPs to register gifts worth more than £300 received during the previous 12 months, unless the gift “could not be reasonably thought by others” to relate to their political activities.
The investigation was suspended when Mr Farage resigned his seat, but it has since resumed.
Mr Farage could also face an investigation concerning support provided by George Cottrell, a long-term ally.
If he is found to have breached the rules and receives a suspension of more than 10 days, a recall petition could be triggered, raising the possibility of Mr Farage facing a second by-election.
Read more: Clacton on the map ‘for all the wrong reasons’
