Nigel Farage beats Count Binface in Clacton by-election, but is absent from count
Nigel Farage wins Clacton by-election with 63% of the vote. (Carlos Jasso/Getty)
Despite winning the Clacton-on-Sea by-election, Nigel Farage did not attend the vote count.
The Reform UK leader won with 63% of the vote on a turnout of 44%. Farage will now return as the constituency’s MP
The highly publicised by-election was triggered after scrutiny about Farage’s financial backing. He was up against 34 candidates, including novelty opponent Count Binface, who came second with 27% of the vote.
Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and Restore Britain did not stand candidates against Farage. The Westminster parties dismissed the poll contest as a “gimmick” and a “circus.”
As reported by the BBC, Farage did not attend the count and told his supporters that Essex Police had warned him of an “organised campaign to disrupt and degrade the result”.
A Reform UK spokesperson said: “Essex Police advised Nigel not to attend the count tonight due to a credible threat against him.”
Essex Police have said they did not advise any candidate that they should not to attend the count.
‘It was safe to go ahead’
The Guardian also reported Essex police said there were no “incidents or issues” regarding the Clacton by-election on Thursday or overnight, and the decision of whether candidates attend the election count is “for individuals and their security teams”.
Speaking to reporters after the declaration, Count Binface addressed Farage’s claims. “I asked Essex police if there was any credible threat of disruption here and I can tell you they said unequivocally no, it was safe to go ahead,” he said.
Farage received 22,239 votes, 1,014 more than his winning total at the general election in 2024. When he first became the MP for Clacton, he increased his majority from 8,405 to 12,784.
Though Farage may have won, it will do little to silence the mounting investigation into his and and Reform’s financial affairs.
The parliamentary standards watchdog’s formal investigation into gifts and donations Farage failed to declare is set to resume. Farage has said the investigation was “being used as a political tool”.
The inquiry includes the £5 million gift received from Thailand-based businessman Christopher Harborne. Farage says he was not in politics at the time the gift was made.
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