Overview
- Nigel Farage resigned his Clacton seat in early July and is running in the by‑election that voters will decide on Thursday, August 13.
- Major parties including Labour, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Greens and Restore Britain chose not to stand, leaving space for dozens of smaller and novelty candidates led in the polls by Count Binface.
- A Survation constituency poll this week put Count Binface at about one in five votes and bookmakers have him as the standout novelty challenger, while media attention has been boosted by stunts such as a pilot tracing an eight‑mile bin shape off the Clacton coast.
- An inquiry into a reported £5 million gift to Farage from a crypto donor was paused when his seat became vacant but would likely resume if he re‑enters Parliament, and a Standards Committee suspension of more than 10 sitting days could trigger a local recall petition.
- The contest is being watched as a short‑term test of Farage’s personal mandate and of Reform UK’s future, and it comes as national polling shows a boost for Prime Minister Andy Burnham that has coincided with some weakening for Reform UK.