Nigel Farage won the Clacton by-election with 22,239 votes (62.8 per cent), extending his majority to 12,784, up from 8,405 at the 2024 general election. However, the real drama came from Count Binface, who surged into second place with 9,455 votes (26.9 per cent), obliterating the rest of the field and causing 32 of the record-breaking 34 candidates to lose their deposits. Turnout slumped to 44.4 per cent.
Farage skips count amid security claims
When the results were declared shortly after 6am on Friday, the victorious Reform UK leader was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Farage was holding court at an all-night "Farage-fest" party at a nearby airfield. Fuming to supporters, he said: "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...and be demeaned and humiliated by nobodies, and I will not sadly be attending the count."
Farage claimed police warned him of a "credible threat" and an organised plot to "demean and humiliate" him on stage. However, Essex Police confirmed there were no security incidents. The force added: "The decision of candidates to attend or not attend the election count is a decision for individuals and their security teams, our role is to make sure our policing operation is sufficiently robust to ensure the safety of all."
Seven weirdest moments from Clacton's election saga
The by-election was triggered by Farage himself, who quit as MP facing heat from Parliament's standards watchdog over an undeclared £5 million gift from a Thailand-based crypto billionaire. Rather than answer the watchdog's questions, he abruptly resigned, automatically pausing the investigation, and immediately re-entered the race to "let the voters judge him".
Other bizarre moments included Marcus White, leader of the "Everyone is God" party, launching his bid on Clacton pier alongside his partner Rosie Morrell, who wore a Union Jack bikini. Declaring they were "unashamedly a sex positive party," White promoted free body expression while Morrell, who aspires to be Britain's first elected sex worker MP, urged voters to be proud in their own skin.
Count Binface's flagship policy was to force the CEOs of privatised water companies to swim in local British rivers, arguing that if they're pumping sewage into the sea, they should be forced to take a paddle. Polling showed it was one of the most popular policies in the constituency.
Days before the vote, a rogue pilot traced a massive, perfect bin-shaped flightpath over Clacton, sending a high-flying message of support for Count Binface. The ballot paper, with 34 candidates, measured nearly a metre long, setting a record for the longest voting slip in UK parliamentary history.
Binface also seized the Sky News mic to tell viewers the saga was "a two-legged match like the Carabao Cup or the Cold War," noting that even a 12 per cent vote share would mean one-in-eight locals preferred a bin-shaped space warrior to Farage. His actual 26.9 per cent share is thought to be the highest ever for a novelty candidate.
What happens next
Farage's resignation only paused the Standards Commissioner's probe, which now resumes. If the watchdog finds against him and Parliament hands down a suspension of 10 or more sitting days, it could trigger a recall petition, forcing Clacton voters back to the polls for a second by-election in a matter of months.
