A woman who shouted an expletive at Nigel Farage in Clacton crashed her car moments later – prompting the Reform UK leader to declare it “instant karma”.
The incident unfolded as Farage was greeting supporters in the constituency he is contesting in the by-election triggered by his protest over scrutiny of his finances and backers. A woman in a hatchback whizzed past, shouting “W*” at the politician, who claims to receive more death threats than any other.
“Woman shouts 'W*****' at Nigel Farage in Clacton, then crashes car; Farage calls it 'instant karma'.”
Distracted by Farage’s presence, she rear-ended the car in front, which had stopped at a traffic light. “She won’t do that again in a hurry,” one of Farage’s aides was heard saying.
Farage later shared the clip on Facebook, adding: “This lady shouted abuse at me and then crashed her own car. That’s what you might call instant karma!” He noted that someone on Instagram commented: “God punishes some quicker than others.”
The heckler’s misfortune provided a moment of levity for Farage, whose political fortunes have been more troubled. A recent poll suggested he is now less popular than Sir Keir Starmer at the time of the former prime minister’s resignation. Reform UK has been rocked by stories about donors and backers, including a £5 million “gift” Farage received before the 2024 election.
Farage had hoped to frame the Clacton by-election as a “people versus the establishment” battle, but every major party declined to take part, dismissing it as a “stunt” and a “vanity project”. That left novelty candidate Count Binface as his main opponent, along with 32 other rivals – a record number. His decision to rerun backfired when the main Westminster parties boycotted the vote.
This is not the first time Farage has faced a physical response in Clacton. In 2024, he was doused with a McDonald’s banana milkshake outside a pub after announcing his candidacy. Reform UK MPs now have round-the-clock security protection following the death of Ann Widdecombe.
With the by-election looming, Farage’s encounter with the hapless driver is likely to be one of the more memorable moments on the campaign trail – though perhaps not one he would wish to repeat.