Key facts
- Nigel Farage won the Clacton parliamentary seat with 22,239 votes.
- Count Binface received 9,455 votes.
- The election featured a record 34 candidates.
- Major political parties boycotted the byelection.
- Farage resigned his seat amid an investigation into a £5 million gift.
- A parliamentary investigation into Farage's finances is expected to resume.
Nigel Farage, leader of the anti-immigration Reform UK party, has won the Clacton parliamentary byelection with 22,239 votes. His main challenger, the satirical candidate Count Binface, secured 9,455 votes in an election that featured a record 34 candidates. All major political parties boycotted the contest, labelling it a "media circus" and a "vanity project".
Farage triggered the byelection after resigning his seat amid a probe into a £5 million gift from cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne and questions surrounding donations linked to financier George Cottrell. His resignation paused a parliamentary investigation into his financial affairs, which is expected to resume in September. Farage cited advice from Essex police for his absence from the vote count, stating a plot was underway to embarrass him.
Despite winning, Farage held a private event, "Farage Fest", on the outskirts of the constituency rather than appearing at the official count. The election's circumstances, including the absence of major party candidates, allowed Count Binface to emerge as the strongest challenger.