N. Farage, who triggered this vote by resigning from his parliamentary seat due to a financial investigation, having served since 2024, secured 63% of the votes in the Clacton constituency of England.
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While the votes were still being counted, N. Farage declared victory.
“The decision has been made, and it is a convincing and overwhelming victory,” he said at an event in Essex, which was broadcast on the social network “X,” with supporters chanting his name.
However, his main opponent Count Binface exceeded expectations, receiving 9,455 votes, which is 27% of all votes.
Analysts predicted N. Farage’s victory but underestimated the appeal of the candidate campaigning with a bin on his head – he was forecasted to get a large share of votes, approaching 20%, but not exceeding it.
The main UK parties, including the ruling Labour Party, ignored this vote, calling it a publicity stunt by the leader of the “Reform UK” party, who was once considered a potential prime minister, aimed at avoiding financial scrutiny.
As a result, the Brexit supporter was left to compete with a host of satirical candidates, among whom the most prominent was comedian Jon Harvey’s character Count Binface – a self-proclaimed “intergalactic space warrior” from the fictional planet “Sigma IX,” wearing a costume with a bin on his head.
“The moral victory is already mine,” he said on Friday morning, before the final results were announced, to news agency AFP at the counting center.
N. Farage did not participate in the vote counting, where candidates traditionally gather for the announcement of results, claiming that Essex police warned him about a planned “organized campaign aimed at disrupting and undermining the results.”
Interim election officer Ian Davidson said that election commission members cooperated with the police to ensure the process was “completed safely and reliably,” adding that “there is currently no reason to halt the counting process.”
Count Binface said that being N. Farage’s opposition was his “humble duty,” and added that he would respect the results.
“If the majority of Clacton voters say they want him to be their MP again, that must be respected,” he said.
Voter turnout was about 44%, lower than the 59% in the 2024 general elections, but such a figure is not unusual for by-elections.
In the coastal community, it did not seem that many voters were enthusiastic about these elections, and even some “Reform UK” party volunteers downplayed the seriousness of this duel.
“It’s a bit absurd,” party activist Jane Embelton told AFP. “Basically, all this is done to make Nigel Farage look like an idiot. But to me and his supporters, he does not look like an idiot.”
A record number of 33 marginal candidates participated in the elections, including Count Binface, and at the Clacton leisure center, where the votes were counted, some of the longest ballots in the country’s history were unfolded.
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“The fight of the people of Clacton against the establishment”
N. Farage, whose party led national public opinion polls for a year and a half but recently fell behind, surprised voters by resigning on July 7 due to the financial investigation.
The parliamentary oversight body is investigating allegations that he and “Reform UK” deputy leader Richard Tice failed to declare financial gifts. They deny any wrongdoing.
N. Farage called Thursday’s vote “the fight of the people of Clacton against the establishment,” aimed at disrupting the “conspiracy” regarding his finances.
“The people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions,” he said in a video released before casting his vote.
Political analysts do not consider this vote significant in a constituency that overwhelmingly supported Brexit a decade ago.
“It would be surprising if Farage did not win,” political scientist John Curtice told AFP.
However, some believe that N. Farage’s choice to call the election backfired on him, as his party “Reform UK” declines in national polls.
“Farage’s plan to turn this by-election into a serious political battle has failed,” London Queen Mary University politics professor Stijn van Kessel told AFP.
According to him, this has created a situation where “Farage looks quite foolish.”
In the 2024 general elections, N. Farage received 46% of the votes and became an MP on his eighth attempt.
Police investigation
N. Farage’s investigation, which was suspended upon his resignation, is related to a £5 million (5.85 million euros) donation from cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne.
Meanwhile, London police confirmed that last year they launched an investigation into donations to the “Reform UK” party before the 2024 elections.
UK media reported that this investigation is related to undeclared financial support from long-time N. Farage ally and convicted fraudster George Cottrell and his mother.
These issues coincided with the party “Reform UK” support decline in polls and N. Farage’s own popularity drop – a long-time controversial figure, equally loved and hated.
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