Nigel Farage has won a convincing victory in the Clacton by-election, achieving 22,239 votes, a majority of 12,784, against Count Binface’s 9,455 votes. The result represents an increase from his previous general election majority and comes amidst notable concerns over security at the counting venue, reports BritPanorama.
Farage, leader of Reform UK, declared his win “fairly convincing” before the official results were announced, describing it as an “overwhelming endorsement” of his leadership. He celebrated surpassing his previous performance in the 2024 General Election where he received 21,225 votes.
Speaking at a celebration event, Farage stated, “The verdict is now in, and it is a convincing, overwhelming win with more votes than we got in the General Election of 2024.” He emphasised the significance of his victory against what he termed the “uni-party,” which included various establishment candidates.
Farage highlighted the peculiar situation where Count Binface has emerged as a candidate representing the establishment, stating, “Today the voters in Clacton have stuck up two fingers to the entire political establishment.” However, he chose not to attend the official result declaration at Clacton Leisure Centre after being informed by Essex Police of a potential disruption to the event.
A spokesperson for Reform UK later confirmed that Essex Police advised Farage against attending due to a “credible threat” against him, although it remains unclear if this was communicated to other candidates at the count.
Essex Police released a statement indicating a “proportionate and robust policing operation” was in place to ensure participant safety during the counting process. The turnout for the by-election stood at 44.37%, a drop of just over 14% compared to previous elections, with 32 of the record 34 candidates failing to secure their deposit.
The full results of the Clacton by-election, with the figures not adjusted for spoiled ballots:
Reform hold * Nigel Farage (Reform) 22,239 (63.34%, +17.16%)
Count Binface 9,455 (26.93%)
John Stevens (Rejoin) 492 (1.40%)
Tony Francis (Ind) 432 (1.23%)
Pamela Walford (Ind) 371 (1.06%)
Laurence Fox (Reclaim) 347 (0.99%)
William Clouston (SDP) 256 (0.73%)
Nick Pelas (Ind) 202 (0.58%)
James Ransley (Consensus) 192 (0.55%)
Stephen Ingram (Ind) 159 (0.45%)
Kai Stephens (BDP) 132 (0.38%)
Attieh Fard (Ind) 126 (0.36%)
Derrick Morris (Ind) 100 (0.28%)
Martyn O’Brien (Ind) 65 (0.19%)
Martin Davies (FA) 60 (0.17%)
Robin Green (Ind) 59 (0.17%)
Rees Cowne (Ind) 50 (0.14%)
Adham Alkhatip (Forward) 49 (0.14%)
Amy Morris (Ind) 46 (0.13%)
Andy Erlam (Ind) 44 (0.13%)
Joseph 77 (Ind) 42 (0.12%)
Nick The Incredible Flying Brick (Loony) 28 (0.08%)
Ketankumar Pipaliya (Voice) 21 (0.06%)
Michael O’Keefe (Ind) 19 (0.05%)
Howling Laud Hope (Loony) 18 (0.05%)
Tony Cane (Ind) 17 (0.05%)
Daniel Pocock (ND) 16 (0.05%)
Baron Von Thunderclap (Loony) 15 (0.04%)
Abi Hookway (Ind) 14 (0.04%)
Marc Wilkinson (Ind) 11 (0.03%)
Marcus White (Everyone) 10 (0.03%)
Gerry Smith (Ind) 9 (0.03%)
Woke Trump Carrzee (Ind) 8 (0.02%)
Glenn Cummings (Ind) 7 (0.02%)
Reform majority 12,784 (36.41%)
Electorate 79,785;
Turnout 35,111 (44.01%, -14.39%)
