Nigel Farage walked out of the job his constituents elected him to do, triggering a by-election he says he will win – but the people of Clacton are deeply divided over whether he is a martyr or a man playing games. The Reform UK leader resigned last week, vowing to fight to regain the Essex seat he vacated, but the move has reopened a row over his financial affairs after the Sunday Times reported undeclared benefits and questions were raised about a £5m gift. No major party is standing against him, leaving a line-up of novelty candidates including perennial contender Count Binface – the alter ego of comedian Jon Harvey. But for the voters who put him in Parliament, the choice is far from simple.
On Connaught Avenue in Frinton, Graham Smith pledged to vote for Farage again, alleging a campaign against him. “Everybody who can is trying to poison the political atmosphere against him,” Smith said. “I think he’s a breath of fresh air in politics and I really don’t care if he’s got six houses, after all that’s gone on in the Labour party and the Tory party in the past.” Memmzy Ozy, a 31-year-old barber, agreed: “He’s alright, you know. I trust Nigel. Hopefully he’ll be the winner.” He said he backed Farage’s policies on illegal immigration. Dean Gardiner, a shoe shop owner on the same street, said the by-election would “straighten things out”. He added: “I think more people will vote for him, I certainly will.”
“Clacton voters split over Farage's by-election gamble amid financial allegations and novelty candidates.”
But elsewhere in the constituency, frustration is palpable. Frankie Ashworth, 18, from Clacton, said she disagreed with Farage on most subjects. “I don’t really want my child to grow up in a country with Nigel Farage being a politician,” she said. “I hope the local people aren’t stupid enough to vote him back in and no, I definitely won’t be voting for him.” Denise Webb, a 61-year-old support worker, accused Farage of being “biased”, “negative” and “not a very nice man”. She said his plan to remove illegal immigrants would not work because “who’s going to fill all of those places?” Mark, a caller to BBC Essex from Jaywick, voiced deeper disillusionment: “All we hear all the time is promises, promises, promises. They get elected, they get placed in Parliament… And nothing ever happens.”
The by-election has been dismissed by other parties as a “stunt” and “vanity project”, leaving Farage facing only minor candidates – but the real threat may come later. The Parliamentary Standards Commissioner, Daniel Greenberg, is investigating Farage’s finances. If he is found to have behaved improperly and suspended for ten days or more, his constituents could launch a recall petition and trigger a second by-election. The main parties, expecting that outcome, have indicated they would contest that one. Farage has not been a frequent visitor to Clacton, instead spending time in the United States – including last weekend. As one voter put it, the question is whether the people of Clacton will turn out for a contest that feels a long way from their daily lives.