Nigel Farage has seen off Count Binface to win the Clacton byelection in a contest boycotted by every other major political party. The Reform UK leader in July triggered the byelection in an attempt to shake off a deepening scandal over a £5m gift he received from the cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne. After a campaign in which a record-breaking 34 candidates vied for the coastal seat, Farage held on to Clacton, with 22,239 votes (63.34%).
Farage increased his general election vote by just over 1,000 ballots, despite a lower turnout but without any competition from the major parties. His nearest competitor, Count Binface, a parody candidate dressed as an intergalactic rubbish bin, won 9,455 votes (26.93%). The result was not as seismic for Farage as some polls had predicted.
A poll from Survation on Monday put Farage on 75% of the vote, with Binface on 20%. Farage declared himself the winner while the votes were still being counted. Despite winning, Farage did not appear at the count for a victory lap, and claimed that Essex police had advised him that a plot was under way to embarrass him when the result was declared.
The Guardian understands that the force did not advise Farage not to attend. Lee Anderson said he had not spoken with Farage about his claim, with conflicting accounts emerging. The Reform MP for Ashfield told BBC Breakfast: “Sometimes some of these police forces that we’ve been dealing with recently are about as honest as you lot at the BBC.” On the night, the contest was resolutely low energy, with hardly any Reform supporters in the room.
When Farage was announced as the winner, his supporters were nowhere to be seen or heard in the counting hall. The result came after a gruelling count in which tellers had to grapple with a 90cm-long ballot paper – the longest in British political history – to tally tens of thousands of votes past sunrise. Aside from Farage, who snubbed the count, the remaining 33 candidates lined up – nearly filling the width of the room – when the results were announced.
The announcement of Count Binface’s 9,000-plus votes was greeted with moderate cheers and claps in the hall. Speaking to reporters after the declaration, Count Binface addressed Farage’s claims. He also referenced the prospect of a re-run of the Clacton byelection should the parliamentary standards commission find against Farage.
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