Clacton byelection: Farage and Binface set for ballot box showdown

Nigel Farage is set to contest the Clacton byelection on Thursday, marking his return to the ballot box following his resignation as MP in July. The vacancy arose after a parliamentary inquiry was launched into a £5m gift Farage accepted from a Thailand-based businessman shortly before the general election. Chancellor Rachel Reeves accepted his resignation, noting she would not prevent him from "arguing with a bin" over the summer.

The contest features 34 candidates in total, with the other major parties not fielding contenders. Consequently, the chief contenders are identified as Farage and Count Binface, the electoral avatar of comedian Jon Harvey. Limited polling suggests a tight race between the two, who will face each other at the ballot box for the first time.

Farage’s electoral history spans three decades, beginning with a fourth-place finish in a 1994 Commons byelection against Screaming Lord Sutch. He was elected to the European Parliament five times before successfully campaigning to abolish that seat. He was finally elected to the House of Commons as MP for Clacton in 2024, a seat he has now resigned and is seeking to reclaim.

Count Binface, or Harvey, has previously stood against four prime ministers, including Boris Johnson in 2019. Harvey adopted the Binface persona after a copyright claim regarding his previous character, Lord Buckethead. The field also includes Laurence Fox standing for Reclaim and three candidates from the Monster Raving Loony party.

Farage’s past campaigns have included notable engagements with novelty candidates. In 2015, he pledged to resign as UKIP leader if he did not win the Thanet South seat, losing to comedian Al Murray. Farage resigned as leader but unresigned three days later. The final outcome of the Clacton byelection remains uncertain as voting takes place on Thursday.