John Stevens, a former Conservative MEP standing for the Rejoin the EU Party in the Clacton by-election, has argued that the contest offers a genuine opportunity to push the case for rejoining the EU, rather than being merely a media sideshow pitting Nigel Farage against comedian candidate Count Binface. He told The Independent that local voters resent being portrayed as the butt of an "inside Westminster joke", and claims that a strong anti-Brexit vote would damage Farage and Reform far more than any humiliation by a novelty candidate, potentially emboldening mainstream parties to reconsider EU membership.

Stevens, a City trader-turned-politician who served as a Conservative MEP until 1999, acknowledged the scale of the challenge given Clacton voted 70 per cent for Leave in 2016, with Essex backing Leave by 62 per cent overall, while suggesting Farage is seeking "North Korean levels of support" of 95 per cent or more. He said canvassing had revealed some residents, particularly younger people and women on newer estates, now question whether Brexit has worked, and argued that Remainers must avoid blaming Leave voters and instead adopt a reconciliatory tone. He also claimed Labour backbenchers privately favour rejoining, despite Andy Burnham distancing himself from earlier pro-rejoin comments while campaigning in the pro-Leave Makerfield seat.