{"id":636508,"date":"2026-08-14T09:11:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T09:11:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/636508\/"},"modified":"2026-08-14T09:11:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T09:11:12","slug":"nigel-farage-wins-clacton-byelection-but-shuns-count-after-advice-from-police-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/636508\/","title":{"rendered":"Nigel Farage wins Clacton byelection but shuns count after \u2018advice from police\u2019 \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nigel Farage<\/a> has won the Clacton byelection amid contested claims he was told by police not to attend the election count due to a \u201ccredible threat\u201d against him.<\/p>\n

Farage won with 22,239 votes, with Count Binface in second place on 9,455 votes, ahead of 32 other candidates. Farage secured a 12,784 majority, 63.34 per cent of the vote.<\/p>\n

This is up from his 8,405 vote majority, 46.2 per cent, when he won at the 2024 general election. The result was declared shortly after 6am.<\/p>\n

The Reform UK leader pre-empted the official declaration by telling supporters he had won \u201cfairly convincingly\u201d and the result on the hottest day of the year was an \u201coverwhelming endorsement\u201d of him.<\/p>\n

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 \u201corganised campaign to disrupt and degrade the result\u201d.<\/p>\n

A Reform UK spokesperson later said: \u201cEssex Police advised Nigel not to attend the count tonight due to a credible threat against him.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, the Press Association understands Essex Police did not tell Farage, or any other candidate, not to attend the count.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Essex Police said: \u201cWe have a proportionate and robust policing operation to ensure the safety and security of all participants in the count.\u201d<\/p>\n

Farage told supporters at an all-night \u201cFarage-fest\u201d event organised by Reform in Essex he would not be attending the count. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not scared of these people, far from it,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201dBut I\u2019m damned if I\u2019m going to stand on a stage, having won a resounding victory, a ringing endorsement of all that I\u2019ve tried to fight for, and you\u2019ve tried to fight for, and be demeaned and humiliated by nobodies, and I will not sadly be attending the count.\u201d<\/p>\n

Farage was due to make what was billed as a \u201cmajor speech\u201d in Clacton at 10.30am on Friday, but Reform cancelled it, saying he had \u201calready commented on the expected result of the byelection\u201d.<\/p>\n

Essex Police directed inquiries on Farage\u2019s claims to Tendring district council, which was running the election.<\/p>\n

In his speech, Farage said, hours before the result was formally declared: \u201cThe verdict is now in, and it is a convincing, overwhelming win with more votes than we got in the general election of 2024.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cToday the voters in Clacton have stuck up two fingers to the entire political establishment.\u201d<\/p>\n

He earlier told GB News: \u201cLook, this is an overwhelming endorsement of me. I have had enough of being judged by mainstream media, being called a criminal.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you know, if I made one sin, if I haven\u2019t filled in a piece of paper, I\u2019ve broken no law, I\u2019ve broken no tax law, I\u2019ve taken no public money, I don\u2019t even own a motorhome.\u201d<\/p>\n

The byelection was triggered by Farage\u2019s resignation over scrutiny of donations from cryptocurrency tycoon Christopher Harborne. Labour and the Conservatives said his victory would not draw a line under the controversy.<\/p>\n

A record 34 candidates were standing, with satirical candidate Count Binface appearing to be Farage\u2019s main challenger, after the other mainstream parties declined to stand.<\/p>\n

Speaking to Sky News, Count Binface, a character created by comedian Jonathan David Harvey, referred to the possibility of a second byelection in the seat if Farage is found to have broken parliamentary rules.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cYou just said at the beginning of this interview that Nigel Farage is claiming victory, but in that case it\u2019s going to be a two-legged match like the Carabao Cup or the cold war, because we\u2019re going to be back again in a few weeks aren\u2019t we? We\u2019ll see what happens then.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cEven if I got to 12 per cent, so one-in-eight people in Clacton would rather vote for a space warrior shaped like a bin than Nigel Farage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Turnout was 44.37 per cent, just over 14 per cent down from the 2024 general election.<\/p>\n

Labour chair Bridget Phillipson said: \u201cNigel Farage spent 38 days fighting a bin in his most desperate attempt yet to deflect attention from the sleaze and scandals engulfing him and his party.<\/p>\n

\u201cFarage may succeed in his runoff against a bin, but he can\u2019t run from the truth forever. The list of unanswered questions about the \u00a35 million gift he hid from the public, his support from a convicted fraudster, and the mountain of other scandals he and Reform are facing isn\u2019t going away.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Conservative Party spokesperson said: \u201cNigel Farage called this fake byelection in a desperate attempt to draw a line under the questions surrounding his fishy \u00a35 million donation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever the outcome on Friday, this stunt has not done that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before quitting Westminster, Farage was being investigated by the parliamentary standards commissioner Daniel Greenberg over a \u00a35 million gift from Harborne, which he received before taking his seat in the Commons.<\/p>\n

Under Commons rules, new MPs are required to register any gifts worth more than \u00a3300 they received in the previous 12 months, except where the gift \u201ccould not be reasonably thought by others\u201d to relate to their political activities.<\/p>\n

That investigation was paused when Farage resigned his seat but will resume if he wins the byelection \u2013 as bookmakers have made him the firm favourite to do.<\/p>\n

Farage could also face an investigation over support provided by George Cottrell, a long-term ally.<\/p>\n

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 byelection. <\/p>\n

The full results in Clacton were: <\/p>\n