London —
Nigel Farage has comfortably won a special election that he triggered, meaning he will remain as a member of parliament after a contest that all the other major British parties boycotted, leaving his main opposition as a comedian dressed as a trash can.
Farage, leader of the populist hard-right Reform UK party, was ultimately re-elected by a substantial margin, winning 22,239 votes – 1,000 more votes than he won in the 2024 general election.
His main opponent in the by-election, Count Binface – a self-described intergalactic space warrior – won a creditable 9,455 votes, indicating the presence of a considerable anti-Farage vote, even in one of the most right-leaning areas in Britain.
Farage, the country’s chief anti-immigrant activist and Brexit architect, claimed an overwelming victory, posting on X: “The result in Clacton speaks for itself.”
He was already the MP for Clacton but resigned from parliament – triggering the by-election – after facing unprecedented scrutiny over his finances. That scrutiny led to an investigation by the parliamentary standards committee, which will now resume after being paused for the election.
Farage did not give a victory speech after declining to attend the declaration, claiming police had warned of a campaign to disrupt it. Essex Police said there were “no incidents or issues,” and that choosing to attend the count was up to “individuals and their security teams.” It is highly unusual for by-election winners not to attend the count; one other notable example is Bobby Sands, a member of the Irish Republican Army who was elected as an MP in 1981 but was in prison and on hunger strike at the time.
Election workers looks at ballots, which were unusually long due to the number of candidates standing, during the vote counting for the Clacton by-election. Jack Taylor/Reuters
“I came first in the Clacton by-election! Of the candidates who bothered to turn up for the results,” Binface posted on X soon after results were announced.
Farage intended for this election to appeal directly to his electorate, framing it as him taking on the establishment: “I’ve decided the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions,” he said when triggering the by-electionBut the spectacle promptly became an object of ridicule, derided as a “circus” by prominent British journalists like Jon Sopel for the 33 novelty and fringe candidates challenging Farage, while the claims over Reform’s finances refuse to go away. Holding an election like this has also opened Farage to criticism over its cost, which is expected to be around £250,000 ($338,000). The public is legally bound to pay that, despite Farage’s protestations that Reform would foot the bill.
At the same time, Farage faces both a split in his natural coalition of voters and a more formidable opponent in Britain’s new center-left prime minister, Andy Burnham. Such headwinds are unfamiliar for Reform, which had previously been in the ascendancy, leading national opinion polls and enjoying historic gains in local elections.
And if the ongoing investigation finds he breached parliamentary guidelines, that will trigger a process which could ultimately lead to another by-election. The other major parties would be expected to field candidates in that vote.
Nigel Farage leaves a makeshift polling station on Thursday. Henry Nicholls/AFP/Getty Images
Challenge from the right
While Farage is caught in this election spin-cycle, the grip he holds over his voter base is also faltering. Reform is now facing a challenge from its right flank as the newly established party Restore Britain – founded by former Reform MP Rupert Lowe – siphons off a small but significant portion of voters.
Count Binface speaks with the media at the count. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Lowe, who has a longstanding feud with Farage, was forced out of the party last year and subsequently started his own, egged on by US billionaire businessman Elon Musk. Now sensing an opening, Lowe has sought to form an alliance with Farage, conditioned on Farage accepting some of Restore’s more extreme policies. Farage has not so far appeared keen to bury the hatchet.
“A pact would be tricky because Restore’s policies are so extreme that adopting them would make Reform less attractive to voters who aren’t really into the whole far-right package,” Tim Bale, a professor at Queen Mary University of London who studies right-wing politics, told CNN.
