Kemi Badenoch has said the Conservatives will field a "serious candidate" in Clacton if a parliamentary standards investigation into Nigel Farage eventually forces a second by-election there, though the party is not standing in the current contest. Voters go to the polls on 13 August in a by-election triggered by Farage's resignation as MP, with Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats all sitting out the race, dismissing it as a "stunt". Badenoch's intervention keeps the Tories visible in the contest while avoiding a direct challenge to Farage this time round.

In an open letter, Badenoch accused Farage of calling the by-election "to help himself" rather than the constituency, referencing an investigation by the parliamentary standards commissioner into a £5 million donation Farage received from cryptocurrency entrepreneur Christopher Harborne before he took his Commons seat. That probe was paused when Farage resigned but is expected to resume if he wins re-election; a finding against him carrying a suspension of more than 10 days could trigger a recall petition and a fresh by-election. Farage, who denies any wrongdoing and says the money was for security, faces 33 other candidates on the ballot, including Count Binface, Laurence Fox and several Monster Raving Loony Party contenders.