Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has won a by-election he triggered when he stood down last month, beating an array of novelty characters and fringe party candidates after the main parties refused to stand candidates.
Farage resigned from parliament on July 7, saying he wanted to seek a fresh mandate from voters. He characterized the contest as a war against an establishment bent on discrediting him for allegedly taking undeclared gifts from donors.
Farage did not attend the overnight vote count in the English south-east seaside resort of Clacton, saying that Essex police had advised him that there was “an active campaign to disrupt and degrade the result.”
In an Aug. 14 statement provided to media outlets, Essex police said, “the decision of candidates to attend or not attend the election count is a decision for individuals and their security teams.”
Before the result was announced in the early hours of Friday, Farage told supporters, “I am damned if I am going to stand on a stage, having won a resounding victory … and be demeaned and humiliated by nobodies.”
The Reform leader, 62, was expected to win the seat back in a landslide after the other main parties declined to stand candidates. Despite the absence of the main parties, the election featured 34 candidates, including 20 independents.
Farage’s closest challenger was serial election contender Count Binface, a character created by BBC comedian Jonathan Harvey. The silver-caped character, who wears a trash can on his head, was given substantial media coverage during the campaign, including being interviewed on the BBC’s flagship Newsnight program.
Farage’s victory was never really in doubt, with opinion polls predicting a resounding victory. In the end, he received 22,239 votes, or 63 percent of the vote.
Binface finished second on 27 percent with 9,455 votes. Turnout was 44 percent.
Candidate Count Binface poses for the media during the Clacton by-election count at the leisure center in Clacton-on-Sea, England, on Aug. 14, 2026. (Richard Pelham/AP Photo)Binface ‘Candidate for the Uniparty’
Farage referred to Binface and the fact that he was promoted by some from the main parties in his speech to supporters, saying: “On the hottest day of the year, in the middle of August, in holiday season, we have secured far more votes than we got in the general election of 2024, and in doing so, we have beaten the candidate for the uniparty.”
Count Binface (C) stands among other candidates during the result announcement after the Clacton by-election count at a leisure center in Clacton-on-Sea, England, on Aug. 14, 2026. (Richard Pelham/AP Photo)Investigation Reopened
On Friday morning, the parliamentary website showed that the investigation into whether Farage should have declared a 5 million-pound ($6.75 million) gift from a cryptocurrency billionaire investor was active again. It was paused after he stood down, as he was not a sitting lawmaker.
At the heart of the investigation is whether Farage should have declared the gift from Thailand-based British billionaire Christopher Harborne before the 2024 national election. Under parliamentary rules, lawmakers must declare any donations received in the year preceding an election within one month of taking office.
Farage maintains he did nothing wrong because it was a personal gift, which he is using to fund security for himself and his family. He has said he will need protection for life as he receives regular death threats.
If the investigation concludes that Farage breached rules, he could face suspension from the House of Commons, which could trigger another by-election. In that event, the main parties have all indicated that they will stand candidates as usual.
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