Farage wins Clacton by-election but skips count amid 'threat' claims as £5m probe resumes

Nigel Farage has been re-elected as MP for Clacton, but a parliamentary investigation into an unregistered £5m gift has immediately resumed, raising the prospect of a second by-election.

Farage returned for Clacton but standards probe restarts within hours of result

Nigel Farage won the Clacton by-election in the early hours of Friday morning, securing more than 22,000 votes — yet within hours of his return to Parliament, a suspended parliamentary investigation into a £5m gift he allegedly failed to register had resumed, The Independent reports.

The Reform UK leader had triggered the contest himself by resigning last month amid growing scrutiny over his personal finances and those of his party. His resignation had temporarily halted the probe by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. His re-election has now lifted that suspension.

Under Commons rules, newly elected MPs are required to declare any gift worth more than £300 received in the previous 12 months, unless the gift "could not be reasonably thought by others" to relate to their political activities. Mr Farage has consistently denied any wrongdoing, maintaining that the £5m sum — received from a crypto-billionaire — was purely personal in nature and therefore did not require registration.

Should the investigation conclude with a recommendation that he be suspended from Parliament for more than ten days, a further by-election in Clacton could follow.

Polling experts divided on a potential second contest

Polling experts consulted by The Independent said a second by-election would not be a foregone conclusion for Farage. Julian Gallie, head of research at pollster Merlin Strategy, said: "It looks like Farage would likely win any second by-election in Clacton. His raw vote was higher than his general election result and with multiple parties running it would be hard to see who else can get to 50 per cent. That being said, we don't know what the introduction of a strong Conservative and/or Restore candidate could do to Reform voters."

Tory peer and polling expert Lord Hayward said the seat could be at risk if voters coalesced around the constituency's former Conservative MP, who held Clacton until 2024. "Do I think he would win another by-election having been down there? Yes, I do... unless there was some coalescence around Giles Watling and you could get people deliberately voting tactically. And there's no question that people are more and more willing nowadays to do so," he said. Lord Hayward added he would be "surprised" if Farage lost, though he expected a reduced majority.

Farage skips count, citing police advice Reform denies

Mr Farage did not attend the count in person. Reform UK said overnight that police had advised him to stay away due to a "credible threat." Essex Police, however, denied that any candidate had been told not to attend. Acting returning officer Ian Davidson said he was unaware that Farage would be absent until the Reform leader announced it publicly in a speech to supporters elsewhere in Essex.

Instead, Farage spent the night at "Farage Fest," a private event held several miles from the count in the Essex countryside, complete with a live band, bars, fire pits and marquees. Most of the media were not invited. Speaking to supporters there, he said police had warned him of "an organised campaign to disrupt and degrade the result."

"I am damned if I am going to stand on a stage, having won a resounding victory... and be demeaned and humiliated by nobodies," he told the crowd.

His post-victory public statement was a single line on X, accompanied by a photograph taken at Farage Fest: "The result in Clacton speaks for itself."

A "major speech" in Clacton billed for 10.30am on Friday was subsequently cancelled by Reform, who said he had "already commented on the expected result."

Major parties boycotted the contest; satirist came second

The Conservatives, Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens all declined to stand, with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch calling it a "fake" election and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer describing it as "a desperate political stunt." Despite the boycott by the main parties, 34 candidates entered — the longest list ever for a single UK constituency.

The most prominent challenger was satirical candidate Count Binface, who took nearly 10,000 votes — more than 20 per cent of the ballot. The character, described as an "independent space warrior" who wears a bin on his head, has previously stood against Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, and most recently in the Makerfield by-election, where he received 95 votes. His stated policies include abolishing VAR in football, conscripting passengers who play loud music on public transport, and nationalising Adele.

The by-election is estimated to have cost taxpayers approximately £250,000.

Labour dismisses result as cover for "mountain of sleaze"

Labour chair Bridget Phillipson MP rejected the notion that the result represented a political vindication for Farage. "Let's be clear: 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," she said.

Phillipson called on Farage to "come clean with the public and put all the facts on the table over his secret £5m gift, his relationship with a convicted fraudster, and the other scandals his Party is drowning in," adding that the contest "just shows he likely has so much more to hide."

Source: The Independent