Nigel Farage’s gamble of a “people versus the establishment” by-election in Clacton has spectacularly backfired, with his only confirmed opponent so far being a comedian in a bin costume. The Reform UK leader resigned as MP on Tuesday amid a parliamentary investigation into a £5m gift from Thailand-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, a sum the standards commissioner is probing over whether it should have been declared. Farage, who denies any wrongdoing, triggered the contest by having Reform MP Lee Anderson move the writ in the Commons on Thursday; the vote is expected on 13 August.
But Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and Restore Britain have all ruled out standing, leaving the field open to Count Binface – a serial election candidate whose policies include “banning bunting for no reason”. The Green MP Hannah Spencer captured the mood: “We get to spend the summer watching Clacton, a farce of a by-election where one of the candidates is a joke character filled with rubbish and the other is Count Binface.” Chancellor Rachel Reeves branded the by-election a “farce and a desperate distraction” on X, adding: “But if he wants to spend the summer arguing with a bin, I won’t stop him.”
“Farage's only major challenger in Clacton by-election is Count Binface after all main parties refuse to stand.”
Locals in Clacton have voiced anger at what they see as a waste of money that could set taxpayers back £200,000. One resident told the Mirror the move was “wasting money” that could be better spent on the area. The Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey urged Reeves to refuse Farage’s resignation until the investigation concludes, writing on X: “The people of Clacton deserve the facts first.”
Farage’s decision has sparked a fierce debate on radio. On LBC, Reform Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick defended his leader, saying Farage had shown “balls” and calling the other parties “cowards”. But callers savaged him: Al in Glasgow accused Farage of “throwing toys out of his pram”, while Ben from Leigh-on-Sea said he was “insulting the voters of Clacton by not waiting for the commission to produce their report”. Even Reform member Nicola from Horsham expressed despair, saying “Nigel is giving the media exactly what they want.”
The by-election will do little to resolve the underlying allegations. According to UnHerd, the standards commissioner’s investigation will resume the day Farage returns to Westminster. If he is found to have acted improperly and suspended for 10 days or more, his constituents could launch a recall petition, prompting a second by-election that the main parties have indicated they would contest. Farage, who has not been a frequent visitor to his constituency but often travels to the US, must now face judgment from the very voters he asked to trust him – many of whom may simply stay at home.