A parliamentary investigation into a £5 million gift received by Nigel Farage from a crypto-billionaire has resumed after he won the Clacton by-election. The probe into the alleged failure to register an interest was suspended after the Reform UK leader triggered the contest by resigning amid scrutiny over his and the party’s finances. But it is now automatically running again after Mr Farage was returned as MP for Clacton in a race boycotted by the other main Westminster parties, who dismissed it as a political stunt.
Gift under Commons rules
Labour, the Tories and the Liberal Democrats said his victory would not draw a line under the controversy over the money he received from Thai-based Reform donor Christopher Harborne before he was first elected to the Essex seat in 2024. Under Commons rules, new MPs are required to register any gifts worth more than £300 they received in the previous 12 months, except where it “could not be reasonably thought by others” to relate to their political activities. Mr Farage has said the gift was not political and insisted he has done nothing wrong.
Result and turnout
Mr Farage won with 22,239 votes, with Count Binface – the self-styled intergalactic space warrior persona of comedian Jon Harvey – in second place on 9,455 votes. Mr Farage secured a 12,784 majority, 62.82% of the vote. This is up from his 8,405-vote majority, 46.2%, when he won at the 2024 general election. The result was declared shortly after 6am. Turnout was 44.37%, down by just over 14%. Thirty-two of the record 34 candidates lost their deposit.
Police statement and security
He did not attend the official count for the by-election after Reform UK claimed that he had been advised by police to stay away due to a “credible threat” against him. But Essex Police said there were “no incidents or issues” in relation to the contest on Thursday or overnight and that decisions on whether to attend the declaration were for individual candidates and their security teams. In a statement on Friday, an Essex Police spokesperson said: “We have a full and robust policing operation in place around the Clacton by-election, as we do with all significant elections in our county. Throughout polling day our officers were visible right across Clacton and the Tendring district. We visited all 51 polling stations, our officers were out and visible on foot, in vehicles and our drone team patrolled by air. Our aim was to ensure the people of Clacton were able to go about their daily business, that people were able to cast their vote safely and that the count took place without issue. We are pleased to say all of these things happened and there were no incidents or issues throughout yesterday and into the early hours of this morning. We worked closely with Tendring District Council and their security teams throughout.” They added: “We take the safety and security of our elected officials extremely seriously and, equally, we take our policing responsibilities around the democratic process seriously too.”
Reform UK's response
Facing questions about the party’s claim on Friday, Reform chief whip Lee Anderson said Mr Farage had not attended the count at Clacton Leisure Centre because he had been told of “some planned disruption”. Mr Anderson told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Well he was told, and he said this in his speech earlier about five hours ago, that there was some planned disruption amongst I think it was some of the other candidates. I think that was the case. So why go there when you’ve got you know 35, sorry, 33 other other candidates who, and their teams… Why would you go there and listen to them being abusive when you can be with real people from the real world?” Asked about the difference between disruption and a “credible threat”, Mr Anderson said: “It’s not up to you at the BBC to decide whether or not there’s a credible threat. It’s up to Nigel and his security team, and that’s the end of that question.” Mr Anderson told BBC Breakfast he had not spoken to his party leader about the issue but said: “I believe Nigel above the police.”
The Reform UK leader pre-empted the official declaration, saying the result was an “overwhelming endorsement” of him at an event with party supporters in Essex before the count. Mr Farage told GB News: “Look, this is an overwhelming endorsement of me. I have had enough of being judged by mainstream media, being called a criminal. 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.”
Potential further investigations
The party leader could also face an investigation over support provided by convicted fraudster George Cottrell, a long-term ally. 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 Mr Farage facing a second by-election. Mr Anderson said the “slate is wiped clean” in Clacton after the Reform leader was returned to his seat, but that the party would “of course” co-operate with the probe into Mr Harborne’s gift.
Mr Farage told supporters at an all-night “Farage-fest” event organised by Reform in Essex he would not be attending the count: “I’m not scared of these people, far from it. But I’m damned if I’m going to stand on a stage, having won a resounding victory, a ringing endorsement of all that I’ve tried to fight for, and you’ve tried to fight for, and be demeaned and humiliated by nobodies, and I will not sadly be attending the count.” He said Essex Police had told him about an “organised campaign to disrupt and degrade the result”. Mr Farage was due to make what was billed as a “major speech” in Clacton at 10.30am on Friday, but Reform cancelled it, saying he had “already commented on the expected result of the by-election”. In his speech, Mr Farage said, hours before the result was formally declared: “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 added: “Today the voters in Clacton have stuck up two fingers to the entire political establishment.”
Council acting returning officer and chief executive Ian Davidson said he did not know that Mr Farage would not attend the count until the Reform UK leader announced it in his speech to his supporters. He said he did not believe there was any threat serious enough for the count to be called off, but that he could not comment further on security matters.
Political reactions
Labour chairwoman Bridget Phillipson said: “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. This morning, Nigel Farage shouldn’t be celebrating – he should wake up and smell the coffee. He must come clean with the public and put all the facts on the table over his secret £5 million gift, his relationship with a convicted fraudster, and the other scandals his Party is drowning in. Farage’s distraction by-election doesn’t clear his name – it just shows he likely has so much more to hide.” A Conservative Party spokesperson said: “Nigel Farage called this fake by-election in a desperate attempt to draw a line under the questions surrounding his fishy £5 million donation. Whatever the outcome on Friday, this stunt has not done that.” The Liberal Democrats’ Cabinet Office spokeswoman Lisa Smart said: “Like most people who win a fight against a bin, Farage has come away looking daft and smelling of yesterday’s chip paper. Now that he’s heading back to Westminster, the investigation into his shady financial affairs and £5 million ‘gift’ must crack on. Reform claims to fight for the people, but they answer to crypto-billionaires. Triggering a vanity by-election was a blatant attempt to dodge being held to account. The Liberal Democrats have proposed a ‘Clacton clause’ to a Bill going through parliament that would stop a stunt like this being pulled ever again. A sitting MP under investigation should never be able to weaponise a by-election into a taxpayer-funded attempt to escape scrutiny.”
