Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, has won the Clacton constituency by-election in Essex, according to the result declared by Tendring District Council on Friday 14 August. Voters went to the polls on Thursday 13 August, and the result was declared shortly after 6am, the Irish Times reports. Farage polled 22,239 votes on a turnout of 44.37%.
The by-election was called after Farage resigned the seat he had held since 2024, a move the Press Association linked to scrutiny of donations from the cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne. According to the Press Association, the other mainstream parties declined to stand, and Euronews described the vote as shunned by Britain’s main political parties, including Labour. The council said 34 candidates stood, the highest number recorded for a UK parliamentary election.
The Result
The council’s published figures show Count Binface, the satirical character created by the comedian Jonathan David Harvey, finished second with 9,455 votes. The Irish Times and the Press Association put Farage’s majority at 12,784, up from 8,405 at the 2024 general election, when turnout was higher. The Press Association also reported that 32 of the 34 candidates lost their deposits.
Farage declared victory hours before the formal announcement, describing it as an “overwhelming endorsement”, according to the Press Association. Labour and Conservative spokespeople said the result would not draw a line under questions about his finances; the Conservative spokesperson called it a “fake by-election”, according to the Press Association.
A Count He Did Not Attend
Farage did not attend the declaration at Clacton Leisure Centre, saying Essex Police had told him of an organised campaign to disrupt the result. A Reform UK spokesperson said police had advised him not to attend because of a credible threat. Essex Police said it had a proportionate policing operation in place, and the Press Association understands officers did not tell Farage or any other candidate to stay away. The council’s acting returning officer, Ian Davidson, said he saw no reason not to proceed with the count.
Farage’s return to the Commons also restarts an inquiry by the parliamentary standards commissioner, Daniel Greenberg, that was paused when he resigned. According to Euronews and the Press Association, it concerns a gift of about £5 million from Harborne and whether it should have been declared. Farage has said he has broken no law. Euronews reports that experts predict a decision in September, after the summer recess, and that a finding of a breach could be referred to the Committee on Standards.
Why It Matters
The result restores Farage to Parliament, but it came in a vote that, in Euronews’s words, the main parties shunned, with a record 34 candidates. Euronews quotes the Queen Mary University of London politics professor Stijn van Kessel as telling AFP that Farage’s plan to turn the by-election into a serious political battle failed. The commissioner’s inquiry now resumes, and, according to the Press Association, a suspension of more than 10 days could trigger a recall petition and a second by-election.
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