Nigel Farage was left looking embarrassed after claiming he had been advised not to attend the Clacton by-election count for safety reasons. The Reform UK leader said he had been warned by Essex Police of an “organised campaign to disrupt and degrade” the poll, where Count Binface picked up more than one in four votes.
However, police are said to have indicated they never advised him not to go. A spokesperson said: “We have a proportionate and robust policing operation to ensure the safety and security of all participants in the count.” The revelation sparked rumours that a humiliated Farage – who said he had won “fairly convincingly” – was just desperate to avoid standing next to a huge line of novelty candidates.
Binface's Victory Claim
Meanwhile, Count Binface declared himself “the winning candidate of the candidates who bothered to turn up for the results.” The intergalactic space warrior added: “As for me, I'm over the moon. And what comes next? Well, we shall see. Over one in four people in this constituency would rather have Count Binface as their MP than the leader of Reform UK, and I'm just getting started.”
The farce topped off a disastrous six weeks for Farage, who triggered the election by resigning on July 6, in protest at a probe into his finances. He won as expected, with 22,239 votes, after all the mainstream parties refused to field candidates. But Binface came second with 9,455 – a whopping 27% share – far higher than predicted by pollsters and bookies.
Criticism and Defence
The Liberal Democrats joined the chorus of critics taking pot shots at Farage, whom they accused of trying to “dodge being held to account.” Spokeswoman Lisa Smart added: “Like most people who win a fight against a bin, Farage has come away looking daft and smelling of yesterday’s chip paper.”
Meanwhile, a Reform UK spokesman insisted he chose to stay at home over genuine security concerns. They added: “Essex Police advised Nigel not to attend the count tonight due to a credible threat against him.” Reform leader Richard Tice later suggested it was Mr Farage’s “team” who judged that “there was sufficient anxiety, and concern, and threats” which meant he should avoid the event.
Parliamentary Probe Reopened
A parliamentary probe into claims the loaded ex-banker failed to declare donations was reopened hours after his victory. He is accused of accepting an undisclosed £5million gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne just before announcing he would stand in the 2024 general election.
