Nigel Farage has announced he will be absent from the Clacton by-election count. The Reform UK leader revealed he had been warned by Essex Police about "an organised campaign to disrupt and degrade the result that will take place in a few hours' time."
Announcement at Supporters' Gathering
Mr Farage made the announcement at a gathering of supporters in Essex, which has been dubbed "Farage Fest" and "Clactonbury". He said: "I'm sad to say that after 33 years of being a candidate in active politics, I've been advised tonight by Essex Police that there is an organised campaign to disrupt and degrade the result that will take place in a few hours' time."
"Once again it shows you the sheer intolerance, the sheer loss of fundamental democratic principles that those that went before us, fought in world wars, to fight for and preserve."
Refusal to Be 'Demeaned and Humiliated'
"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."
Mr Farage expressed confidence that he had clinched victory in the contest with "far more votes" than in the 2024 general election.
Confidence in Victory
The Reform leader added: "I called this by-election because I wanted the people of Clacton to be my judge, not the mainstream media in Britain and the political establishment who paint us out to be criminals and bad people every day."
"So I asked the voters of Clacton to be my jury and the verdict has now come in, and it is a convincing, overwhelming win with more votes, on the hottest day of the year, in the middle of August, in holiday season, we have secured far more votes than we got in the general election of 2024."
