Nigel Farage claims by-election win in Clacton
The Reform party leader pulled out of attending the count in Clacton, where his main competition was Count Binface
Last updated 8 hours ago
Nigel Farage has asserted his victory in the Clacton by-election, despite staying away from the count due to a security concern.
The leader of Reform UK declared he had won the election "fairly convincingly" while addressing his supporters ahead of the official result announcement.
The vote occurred on the hottest day of the year, and Farage described the result as an “overwhelming endorsement” of him.
However, he opted not to attend the official declaration at Clacton Leisure Centre.
According to Farage, Essex Police informed him about an “organised campaign to disrupt and degrade the result”.
A Reform UK spokesperson later confirmed that Essex Police had advised Farage against attending the count due to a credible threat.
A spokesperson for Essex Police confirmed a robust policing operation was deployed to ensure the safety of all involved at the count:
"Our aim was to ensure the people of Clacton were able to go about their daily business, that people were able to cast their vote safely and that the count took place without issue."
However, Essex Police maintained that the force did not advise any candidate against attending:
"The decision of candidates to attend or not attend the election count is a decision for individuals and their security teams, our role is to make sure our policing operation is sufficiently robust to ensure the safety of all."
Mr Farage's main competition in this by-election was Count Binface - yet a total of 34 candidates stood in the constituency.
The major UK parties did not stand candidates, amidst a Parliamentary investigation into Mr Farage.
There were 35,401 votes in this by-election, with a turnout of 44.37%. and Mr Farage received 22,239 votes.
The Reform UK leader quit as an MP to trigger this contest, following parliamentary scrutiny of his finances.
The size of the ballot paper meant larger tables than usual were used at the count and the result was announced on the floor of Clacton Leisure Centre rather than on a stage due to the number of candidates who had to fit on it.
The Labour Party has said Nigel Farage “can’t run from the truth forever” as polls closed in the Clacton by-election, as they said questions over donations he had received would continue.
Labour chose not to stand a candidate against the Reform UK leader, however, Labour chairwoman Bridget Phillipson said he would still face questions over his funding.
She said: “Nigel Farage spent 38 days fighting a bin in his most desperate attempt yet to deflect attention from the sleaze and scandals engulfing him and his party.
“Farage may succeed in his run-off against a bin, but he can’t run from the truth forever.
“The list of unanswered questions about the £5 million gift he hid from the public, his support from a convicted fraudster, and the mountain of other scandals he and Reform are facing isn’t going away. In fact, it’s getting longer by the day.
“It’s time to stop the excuses and desperate distractions and finally come clean with the public.
“If Farage has nothing to hide, he surely would have done so by now.”
Meanwhile, the Conservative Party said the by-election in Clacton would not draw a line under questions about donations received by Nigel Farage.
The Parliamentary investigation into Mr Farage was paused, but it is set to resume when he returns to the House of Commons.
The contest is estimated to cost taxpayers around £250,000 and the 90cm-long ballot paper has also caused logistical problems for Tendring District Council.
In a message to the people of Clacton, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has said if there is a by-election triggered as a result of the standards investigation, her party will field a “serious candidate” and “when the real choice comes, the Conservatives will be there and I hope we can earn your support”.
Speaking at the by-election, Essex County Councillor Jaymey McIver said:
"He leads from the front, he is knocking on those doors, he was up early knocking on doors and he was knocking on doors till nearly 10 o'clock this evening.
"For Nigel it has been an honour to serve as Clacton's MP, it's an office that he truly loves to serve.
"He knows everything, about the buildings, about the statues.
"He will be thrilled to go back to the House of Commons to represent the people of Clacton as their member of Parliament."