Nigel Farage has declared that the "establishment is trying to destroy me" as he prepares to face comedy candidate Count Binface in the Clacton by-election, with none of the mainstream political parties planning to contest the vote.
By-Election Date and Boycott
Reform UK proposed August 6 as the date for the Clacton vote when it launches the parliamentary process to trigger the contest on Thursday. The move comes after Chancellor Rachel Reeves made Farage's resignation as an MP official, stating, "if he wants to spend the summer arguing with a bin, I won't stop him."
Farage has framed the contest as a "people versus the establishment" fight in the Essex seat, following scrutiny over undeclared gifts and financial support before his first election. However, his main rival is expected to be Count Binface, a comedy candidate wearing a bin on his head, as the main Westminster parties have declined to participate.
Timeline and Parliamentary Probe
It remains unclear whether the Clacton vote can occur on the proposed date. The House of Commons library stipulates that a by-election cannot take place for at least 21 working days after a writ is issued, with this Friday counting as day one. Farage has faced criticism for triggering a by-election before the completion of a parliamentary probe into his undeclared donations. The probe is now paused after his resignation but will resume if he is re-elected.
Writing in The Express newspaper on Thursday, Farage accused other parties of being "running scared" of the vote and criticized Labour, the media, and "the whole establishment" for doing "everything they can to destroy me, my family, the party, our donors and the millions who support us." He questioned, "In our democracy, who should decide who gets to sit as an MP or form a government? Should it be the voters of seats such as Clacton? Or should it be the British establishment, through its political agents, media mouthpieces and parliamentary committees?"
Financial Scrutiny and Investigations
Farage is being investigated by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner over whether he should have registered a £5 million gift from cryptocurrency tycoon Christopher Harborne, which he said was needed to fund security due to multiple threats. New MPs must register gifts worth more than £300 received in the previous 12 months, except when the gift "could not be reasonably thought by others" to relate to political activities. Farage maintains he has done nothing wrong.
Additionally, Farage faces questions over support from George Cottrell after a Sunday Times investigation. A Guardian report suggested that bankers raised concerns to the National Crime Agency (NCA) via suspicious activity reports (SARs) about at least four transactions involving senior Reform leaders, including the £5 million gift to Farage and a £1 million donation from Cottrell's mother to Britain Means Business, described as a fundraising vehicle for Reform, of which deputy leader Richard Tice is a director.
Tice accused the NCA of leaking his and Farage's private information on Tuesday. Reform UK did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Separate Investigation into Robert Jenrick
Meanwhile, police have opened an investigation into a political donation of nearly £40,000 made to Robert Jenrick's campaign to become Conservative Party leader in 2024, amid claims it ultimately came from a foreign source. Jenrick, who has since defected to Reform, rejected the allegations as "entirely false," and his spokesman said he had provided "detailed records that categorically disproved these smears in 2025" to the Electoral Commission.
