Clacton by-election live: Nigel Farage begins final push to reclaim seat in battle with Count Binface
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Voters in Clacton-on-Sea are due to elect an MP in a by-election triggered after Reform UK leader Nigel Farage stood down amid scrutiny of his financial affairs. Farage is widely expected to regain the seat, but his most prominent opponent is Count Binface, the satirical candidate standing after the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Greens declined to contest the vote.
Tendring District Council has confirmed 34 candidates, a record for a parliamentary contest, including several minor-party and independent candidates. The campaign comes as Reform UK faces national polling pressure and questions over a £5m donation from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne and gifts from convicted criminal George Cottrell; a YouGov poll put Labour on 24% and Reform UK on 22%.
- Farage seeks to regain Clacton in a by-election he triggered.
- Count Binface is his main rival after major parties declined to stand.
- A record 34 candidates will contest the seat.
More coverage
- The Independent — Count Binface would beat Nigel Farage in Clacton if all Britons could vote in by-election, poll finds
- The Independent — Count Binface’s first-ever interview resurfaces six years later as he prepares to face Farage