UPDATE: Reform UK leader Farage wins in Clacton with 63% of vote

Nigel Farage has won the Clacton by-election amid contested claims he was told by police not to attend the election count due to a "credible threat" against him.

The Reform UK leader pre-empted the official declaration by telling supporters he had won "fairly convincingly" and the result on the hottest day of the year was an "overwhelming endorsement" of him.

However he said he would not attend the official declaration of the result at Clacton Leisure Centre as Essex Police had told him about an "organised campaign to disrupt and degrade the result".

A Reform UK spokesperson later said: "Essex Police advised Nigel not to attend the count tonight due to a credible threat against him."

However, the Press Association understands Essex Police did not tell Farage, or any other candidate, not to attend the count.

A spokesperson for Essex Police said: "We have a proportionate and robust policing operation to ensure the safety and security of all participants in the count."

Farage won with 22,239 votes, with Count Binface in second place on 9,455 votes. Farage secured a 12,784 majority, 62.82% of the vote.

This is up from his 8,405 vote majority, 46.2%, when he won at the 2024 general election. The result was declared shortly after 6am.

Turnout was 44.37%, down by just over 14%.

A total of 32 of the record-34 candidates lost their deposit.

A record 34 candidates were standing, with satirical candidate Count Binface as Farage's main challenger, after the other mainstream parties declined to stand.

Speaking to Sky News, Count Binface, a character created by comedian Jonathan David Harvey, referred to the possibility of a second by-election in the seat if Farage is found to have broken Parliamentary rules.

He said: "You just said at the beginning of this interview that Nigel Farage is claiming victory, but in that case it's going to be a two-legged match like the Carabao Cup or the Cold War, because we're going to be back again in a few weeks aren't we? We'll see what happens then."

He added: "Even if I got to 12%, so one-in-eight people in Clacton would rather vote for a space warrior shaped like a bin than Nigel Farage."

Labour Chair Phillipson said: "This is no victory for Nigel Farage. The mountain of sleaze and scandal he and Reform are now engulfed in has grown and grown while he's been trying to distract the public by fighting a by-election against a bin."

A Conservative Party spokesperson said: "Nigel Farage called this fake by-election in a desperate attempt to draw a line under the questions surrounding his fishy £5 million donation.

"Whatever the outcome on Friday, this stunt has not done that."

Before quitting Westminster, Farage was being investigated by the parliamentary standards commissioner Daniel Greenberg over a £5 million gift from Harborne, which he received before taking his seat in the Commons.

Under Commons rules, new MPs are required to register any gifts worth more than £300 they received in the previous 12 months, except where the gift "could not be reasonably thought by others" to relate to their political activities.

That investigation was paused when Farage resigned his seat but will resume now that he has won the by-election.

Farage could also face an investigation over support provided by George Cottrell, a long-term ally.

If he is found to have broken the rules and a suspension of more than 10 days is imposed, it could trigger a recall petition and the prospect of Farage facing a second by-election.

By Harry Taylor, Sam Russell and George Lithgow, Press Association

source: PA

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