Nigel Farage has declared victory in the Clacton by-election, calling the result an “overwhelming” endorsement as voters went to the polls in a contest triggered by his resignation from Parliament. The Reform UK leader told GB News he had beaten what he called the “establishment candidate” and said he was confident the result would vindicate his decision to force the by-election.
“Yeah, very convincingly, I’ve managed to beat the establishment candidate.” Farage added: “Look, this is an overwhelming endorsement of me. I have had enough of being judged by mainstream media, being called a criminal. Do you know, if I made one sin, if I haven’t filled in a piece of paper, I’ve broken no law, I’ve broken no tax law, I’ve taken no public money, I don’t even own a motorhome.
“Maybe I haven’t filled in a piece of paper. I’m confident that I’m right, we’ll see where we go. I put this to the people of Clacton, said ‘you decide my future’, and tonight they will.”
The election has attracted a record 34 candidates, with satirical candidate Count Binface among those competing against Farage. Count Binface, the character created by Jonathan David Harvey, suggested the result may not end the political battle if Farage is later found to have breached parliamentary rules.
“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, that would be interesting wouldn’t it? If it goes higher and higher and higher, it says more about what the actual population thinks about Nigel Farage than maybe this election.”
Turnout was 44.37%, more than 14 percentage points lower than at the 2024 general election. Labour and the Conservatives said the election would not settle questions surrounding Farage’s £5 million donation from cryptocurrency businessman Christopher Harborne.
Labour chair Ms Phillipson said: “Nigel 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.
“Farage may succeed in his run-off against a bin, but he can’t run from the truth forever. The list of unanswered questions about the £5 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’t going away. In fact, it’s getting longer by the day. It’s time to stop the excuses and desperate distractions and finally come clean with the public. If Farage has nothing to hide, he surely would have done so by now.”
“Yeah, very convincingly, I’ve managed to beat the establishment candidate.” Farage added: “Look, this is an overwhelming endorsement of me. I have had enough of being judged by mainstream media, being called a criminal. Do you know, if I made one sin, if I haven’t filled in a piece of paper, I’ve broken no law, I’ve broken no tax law, I’ve taken no public money, I don’t even own a motorhome.
“Maybe I haven’t filled in a piece of paper. I’m confident that I’m right, we’ll see where we go. I put this to the people of Clacton, said ‘you decide my future’, and tonight they will.”
The election has attracted a record 34 candidates, with satirical candidate Count Binface among those competing against Farage. Count Binface, the character created by Jonathan David Harvey, suggested the result may not end the political battle if Farage is later found to have breached parliamentary rules.
“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, that would be interesting wouldn’t it? If it goes higher and higher and higher, it says more about what the actual population thinks about Nigel Farage than maybe this election.”
Turnout was 44.37%, more than 14 percentage points lower than at the 2024 general election. Labour and the Conservatives said the election would not settle questions surrounding Farage’s £5 million donation from cryptocurrency businessman Christopher Harborne.
Labour chair Ms Phillipson said: “Nigel 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.
“Farage may succeed in his run-off against a bin, but he can’t run from the truth forever. The list of unanswered questions about the £5 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’t going away. In fact, it’s getting longer by the day. It’s time to stop the excuses and desperate distractions and finally come clean with the public. If Farage has nothing to hide, he surely would have done so by now.”
