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Nigel Farage wins Clacton by-election but Binface wins 26.7%

Farage did not attend the count at Clacton after saying police advised him of plans to disrupt the result, and turnout was 44%.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Europe

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage won a self-triggered by-election in the southern English seaside resort of Clacton, but his effort to silence critics backfired as his main rival, a comedian dressed as a trash can known as Count Binface, took more than a quarter of the vote, according to Reuters via SCMP Economy.

Farage, a leading Brexit campaigner, said he skipped the vote count because police advised him there was a campaign to disrupt the result, and he also cancelled a victory speech planned for later on Friday. He called it a “war against an establishment” after resigning from parliament last month to seek a renewed mandate from voters amid a renewed investigation into allegations that he took undeclared gifts from donors.

Despite the win, the outcome underscored the political risks of Farage’s gamble, Reuters noted. Farage took 62.8% of the vote, while Count Binface secured 26.7%, with turnout at 44%.

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