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Clacton by-election triggered by Farage Updated / Friday, 14 Aug 2026 00:00 Counting is under way in the by-election
Counting is under way in the Clacton by-election pitting Reform UK leader Nigel Farage against satirical candidate Count
Binface in a vote dismissed by some residents as a "farce". Mr Farage, who triggered the vote by resigning the
parliamentary seat he had held since 2024 over an investigation into his finances, is up against Binface and dozens of
other fringe candidates in the Clacton constituency of eastern Essex. The vote has been shunned by Britain's main
political parties, including the ruling Labour, as a stunt by the Reform UK leader - once touted as a potential prime
minister - to dodge scrutiny of his dealings. That has left candidates such as Binface - the alter ego of comedian Jon
Harvey - to grab the attention. Analysts predict a win for Mr Farage - but they also predict an uncomfortably large
share of up to 20% of the votes going to the self-styled "intergalactic space warrior" who wears a rubbish bin on his
head. "Bin day cometh," Binface posted on X, while enthusiasm for voting in the coastal town of Clacton-on-Sea remained
muted. Two other joke candidates for the Official Monster Raving Loony Party were spotted having a drink on a pub
terrace, while Count Binface did not appear in the town on voting day. Count Binface is seen as Nigel Farage's main
rival in the by-election "It's a farce," said one local voter, who accused mainstream parties of "disrespecting the
people of Clacton" by not running candidates. Just a few "I'm with Farage" signs were visible in Clacton, and plenty of
other locals - even some volunteers for the anti-immigration Reform party - branded the polls a joke. "It's a bit
ridiculous," party campaigner Jane Embelton told AFP. "It's all to make Nigel Farage look like an idiot, basically. But
he doesn't look like an idiot to me or his supporters." A record 33 fringe candidates, including Binface, stood in the
vote. At one polling station, a sample ballot paper with the lengthy list of contenders hanging at the entrance was
taller than most voters. Counting began after polling stations closed at 10pm, with a result expected by tomorrow
morning. 'We can't decide' Mr Farage, whose party had topped national polls for 18 months before falling behind
recently, surprised voters with his 7 July resignation amid the probe into his finances. The investigation by the
parliamentary sleaze watchdog is examining allegations he and Reform's deputy leader, Richard Tice, failed to declare
financial gifts. They deny any wrongdoing. Mr Farage has framed the by-election vote as "the people of Clacton versus
the Establishment", aimed at thwarting the "stitch-up" over his finances. "The people of Clacton should be the judges of
my actions," he said in a video released before casting his vote. Another Clacton voter predicted the vote was "not
going to change anything", noting if Mr Farage won as expected, the parliamentary probe would restart. Political pundits
have downplayed the vote's wider significance in a constituency that overwhelmingly backed Brexit a decade ago. "It will
be astonishing if Farage were not to win," political scientist John Curtice told AFP. But some assessed Mr Farage's
election gambit had backfired as his Reform party slips down national polls. "Farage's plan to turn this by-election
into a serious political battle failed," Queen Mary University of London politics professor Stijn van Kessel told AFP,
noting the resulting spectacle "makes Farage look rather silly". Larger tables than usual will be required at the count
due to the size of the ballot paper Police probe Mr Farage netted 46% of the vote in the 2024 general election to become
an MP on his eighth attempt. Turnout was nearly 59% at the time, but today it was expected to be down to around 43% of
the constituency's 80,000 registered voters, given the lack of mainstream candidates, according to provisional figures
announced just after polls closed. The probe into Mr Farage, which paused when he resigned, relates to a £5 million
donation from cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne. Meanwhile, London police have confirmed starting an
investigation last year into donations to Reform before the 2024 election. UK media have reported that the probe
concerns undeclared financial support from longtime Farage ally and convicted fraudster George Cottrell and his mother.
The controversies have coincided with the drop in Reform polling support and in popularity for Mr Farage, long a
divisive figure loved and loathed in largely equal measure. Read more: Nigel Farage on course to win back Clacton seat
in by-election More stories on News UK Nigel Farage Politics World Clacton Source: AFP Clacton on the map 'for all
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