Nigel Farage wins Clacton by-election but skips count as Essex deny plot to ‘degrade’ him

Nigel Farage has won the Clacton by-election but did not attend the official declaration at Clacton Leisure Centre

Nigel Farage has secured victory in the Clacton by‐election, though the result was immediately clouded by a dispute over whether police had urged him to stay away from the count due to a “credible threat” to his safety.

The Reform UK leader declared he had won “fairly convincingly” long before the official announcement, hailing the outcome, delivered on the hottest day of the year, as an “overwhelming endorsement” of his leadership.

Farage said he would not attend the declaration at Clacton Leisure Centre after being informed of what he described as an “organised campaign to disrupt and degrade the result“. A party spokesperson later insisted Essex Police had advised him not to appear because of a credible threat.

Despite this, the Press Association understands that Essex Police did not advise Mr Farage, or any other candidate, to stay away from the count.

A spokesperson for Essex Police said: “We have a proportionate and robust policing operation to ensure the safety and security of all participants in the count.”

Deputy Reform leader Richard Tice later indicated it was Mr Farage’s “team” who concluded that “there was sufficient anxiety, and concern, and threats” to warrant him staying away from the count.

When pressed for further details on the information the party claimed to have received, he told GB News: “No, I can’t. But I think we should just trust those tasked with keeping Nigel safe and alive, I hesitate to say, but that’s what the task is.

“And if a credible threat is perceived or a deep anxiety, whatever you want to term it, clearly they’re going to err on the side of caution, and that’s just the reality.

“So, yes, of course, it’s a shame he would have loved to have been there, but security is paramount, and everybody knows we’ve had a very, very difficult few weeks and last couple of months.”

Mr Farage triumphed with 22,239 votes, with Count Binface coming second on 9,455 votes. Mr Farage claimed a 12,784 majority, representing 62.82% of the vote.

This marks an increase from his 8,405 vote majority, 46.2%, when he prevailed at the 2024 general election. The declaration came shortly after 6am. Turnout stood at 44.37%, a drop of just over 14%. A total of 32 of the record 34 candidates forfeited their deposits.

Mr Farage informed supporters at an all-night “Farage-fest” gathering organised by Reform in Essex that he wouldn’t be attending the count: “I’m not scared of these people, far from it.

“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.”

Mr Farage had been due to deliver what was promoted as a “major speech” in Clacton at 10.30am on Friday, but Reform scrapped it, stating he had “already commented on the expected result of the by-election”. In his address, Mr Farage declared, hours before the outcome was officially announced: “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 continued: “Today the voters in Clacton have stuck up two fingers to the entire political establishment.”

He previously 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.”

Council acting returning officer and chief executive Ian Davidson confirmed he was unaware Mr Farage would not be attending the count until the Reform UK leader revealed it during his speech 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 stated. “I am not aware of what has been said, or what that threat is.”

Mr Davidson noted that Essex Police had deployed an assistant chief constable as part of a “Gold Command” policing operation. He indicated he did not believe there was any threat sufficiently serious for the count to be called off, though he could not comment further on security matters.

The by-election was triggered by Mr Farage’s resignation over scrutiny of donations from cryptocurrency tycoon Christopher Harborne. Labour and the Conservatives insisted his win wouldn’t put an end to the furore.

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A record 34 candidates contested the seat, with satirical contender Count Binface emerging as Mr Farage’s primary opponent, after the other mainstream parties declined to stand.

Speaking to Sky News, Count Binface, a character created by comedian Jonathan David Harvey, alluded to the prospect of a second by-election in the constituency should Mr Farage be found to have broken Parliamentary rules.

He said: “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 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.”

Labour chairwoman Ms Phillipson said: “This is no victory for Nigel Farage. The mountain of sleaze and scandal he and Reform are now engulfed in has grown and grown while he’s been trying to distract the public by fighting a by-election against a bin.

“This morning, Nigel Farage shouldn’t be celebrating – he should wake up and smell the coffee. He must come clean with the public and put all the facts on the table over his secret £5 million gift, his relationship with a convicted fraudster, and the other scandals his Party is drowning in.

“Farage’s distraction by-election doesn’t clear his name – it just shows he likely has so much more to hide.”

A Conservative Party spokesperson said: “Nigel Farage called this fake by-election in a desperate attempt to draw a line under the questions surrounding his fishy £5 million donation.

“Whatever the outcome on Friday, this stunt has not done that.”

Before quitting Westminster, Mr Farage was being investigated by the parliamentary standards commissioner Daniel Greenberg over a £5 million gift from Mr Harborne, which he received before taking his seat in the Commons.

Under Commons rules, new MPs are required to register any gifts worth more than £300 they received in the previous 12 months, except where the gift “could not be reasonably thought by others” to relate to their political activities.

That investigation was paused when Mr Farage resigned his seat but will resume if he wins the by-election – as bookmakers have made him the firm favourite to do.

Mr Farage could also face an investigation over support provided by George Cottrell, a long-term ally. If he is found to have broken the rules and a suspension of more than 10 days is imposed, it could trigger a recall petition and the prospect of Mr Farage facing a second by-election.