Nigel Farage Wins Clacton By Election But Dodges Result Declaration

Nigel Farage has easily won the Clacton by-election – but refused to turn up for the result being declared.

The Reform UK leader told a rally of his supporters that he had been advised by Essex Police that “there is an organised campaign to disrupt” the announcement.

A spokesperson for the party said: “Essex Police advised Nigel not to attend the count tonight due to a credible threat against him.”

However, the force denied telling any of the by-election’s 34 candidates not to attend the count.

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

Farage received 22,239 votes, 12,784 more than his nearest rival, Count Binface, who received an astonishing 9,455.

The bottom line, however, is that Farage has been re-elected to the seat he originally won at the 2024 general election with a majority of 8,500.

The Reform leader resigned as an MP last month amid the furore over his failure to declare to a £5 million gift he received from a Thailand-based crypto billionaire shortly before that election campaign.

Parliament’s standards commissioner has launched an investigation, prompting Farage to claim he is the victim of a “witch-hunt”.

That probe, which was paused when the Reform leader resigned, will now re-start and could result in another by-election if he is found to have broken Commons rules and is suspended for more than 10 days.

Labour, the Tories, the Lib Dems, the Green Party and even Restore Britain refused to put up candidates in the by-election.

Labour chair Bridget Phillipson said: “Let’s be clear: 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.”

Lib Dem Cabinet Office spokesperson Lisa Smart said: “Like most people who win a fight against a bin, Farage has come away looking daft and smelling of yesterday’s chip paper.

“Now that he’s heading back to Westminster, the investigation into his shady financial affairs and £5 million ‘gift’ must crack on. Reform claims to fight for the people, but they answer to crypto-billionaires.”

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.