Clacton by-election live: Nigel Farage makes final push for support with voters set to go to polls on Thursday

Voters in Clacton-on-Sea are set to head to the polls on Thursday for a crunch by-election, with Nigel Farage widely expected to reclaim the seat despite a challenge from comedian candidate Count Binface.

The Reform UK leader, who is campaigning in the constituency ahead of the vote, triggered the contest after deciding to stand down amidst massive scrutiny over his financial affairs.

The Tories, Lib Dems, Greens and Labour have all announced that they will not stand in the by-election with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch describing it as “fake” and Sir Keir Starmer calling it “a desperate political stunt”.

Count Binface – a satirical character who has pledged to abolish VAR in football, conscript people who play loud music on public transport and “nationalise Adele” – has emerged as his main rival.

Tendring District Council has confirmed a total of 34 candidates - a record for any parliamentary contest.

It comes as Reform UK is struggling in national polling following a series of scandals, including questions about a £5m donation he received from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne and gifts from a convicted criminal, George Cottrell.

The latest YouGov survey put Labour on 24 points, two points ahead of Nigel Farage’s party on 22 per cent.

Count Binface would beat Nigel Farage in Clacton if all Britons could vote in by-election, poll finds

In The Room | Count Binface vs Farage: Flakes, Ferraris and the Clacton by-election

Count Binface’s first-ever interview resurfaces six years later as he prepares to face Farage

Clacton by-election poll tracker: Could Count Binface deliver a huge upset to Nigel Farage?

Key Points

• Who is Count Binface?
• Nigel Farage begins final push to reclaim seat in battle with Count Binface
• Full list of candidates
• Count Binface says royal family should give up Buckingham Palace: “They don’t even like it”

When is the Clacton by-election and who are the dozens of candidates standing against Nigel Farage?

Voters heading to the polls this week in Nigel Farage’s by-election in Clacton will have a record number of candidates to choose from – but will not be able to vote for most major parties.

The Reform UK leader announced he was quitting as an MP as questions mounted over his personal finances.

But shortly after the Labour Party, the Tories, Liberal Democrats, Greens and Restore Britain have all said they will not stand candidates in the by-election, leaving independent candidates and Count Binface to contest the vote.

You can read about Thursday’s by-election and all the candidates standing against Mr Farage below:

When is the Clacton by-election and who is standing in Farage’s clash with Binface?

‘I saw Count Binface being interviewed – it made me really angry’

There are a record 34 candidates standing in Clacton-on-Sea’s by-election – but many voters say they feel nobody is taking them seriously. Nicole Wootton-Cane speaks to residents to find out what the election means beyond Farage versus Count Binface.

Clacton may have 34 by-election candidates - but voters say they have no choice

Watch: Count Binface vs Farage: Flakes, Ferraris and the Clacton by-election

Politics explained: Why Farage could face a second by-election in Clacton – even if he beats Count Binface

This week’s seaside showdown against ‘independent space warrior’ Count Binface might be just the start of the Reform leader’s electoral headaches, as Sean O’Grady explains.

Why Nigel Farage could face a second by-election in Clacton

Kemi Badenoch penned letter to Clacton voters a week before poll

Voters in Clacton go to the polls in a week’s time, on Thursday August 13, after Nigel Farage stood down as an MP to trigger a by-election.

The Reform UK leader is standing for re-election and is one of 34 candidates on the 3ft-long ballot paper.

But none of the largest parties in Westminster – Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats – are in the running, having dismissed the poll as a stunt.

In a letter “to the people of Clacton” last week, Conservative Party leader Mrs Badenoch wrote: “Nigel Farage has called this by-election not to help you but to help himself.”

Politics explained: Farage vs Count Binface - who will really win the Clacton by-election?

The ultimate winner from this entirely unnecessary contest will be neither the Reform leader nor Britain’s most prominent waste receptacle, as Sean O’Grady explains.

Who will really win the Clacton by-election?

Clacton by-election poll tracker: Could Count Binface deliver a huge upset to Nigel Farage?

One in five people in Clacton would rather vote for Count Binface in the upcoming by-election than vote for Nigel Farage, polls reveal.

A survey by Survation for Mandate Research of voters in Clacton suggests Mr Farage would win 73 per cent of the vote, while his main rival Count Binface could sweep up an estimated 20 per cent of the vote.

In an Ipsos poll asking the general public who they would vote for in a hypothetical head-to-head, a third (33 per cent) of British adults said they would prefer Count Binface to win the race, while only 21 per cent back the Reform UK leader.

Meanwhile, the poll found 32 per cent wouldn’t want either of them to win and 13 per cent didn’t know who they would choose.

You can read more about the latest polls below:

Clacton by-election polls: Could Count Binface deliver a huge upset to Nigel Farage?

Count Binface says royal family should give up Buckingham Palace: “They don’t even like it”

In his manifesto, Count Binface has pledged to build “at least one affordable house”.

It might sound like the political jibes that the satirist has become known for, but the issue of homelessness sits close to Count Binface’s heart – or, rather, his “central fluid-pumping organ”.

In this clip from the latest episode of In The Room, he explains why he’s such an avid supporter of the anti-homelessness charity Shelter, and how he thinks the royal family could help ease the UK housing crisis.

Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or watch on YouTube.

Count Binface says royals should give up Buckingham Palace: ‘They don’t even like it’

Latest pictures from Clacton

When does voting close?

Polling stations will open at 7am and close at 10pm. The result is expected to be announced in the early hours of Friday.

But because there are a total of 34 candidates - a record number for any parliamentary contest - counting could go on for longer than anticipated and push the announcement to 5am.

Watch: Count Binface's first-ever interview resurfaces six years later as he prepares to face Farage

Why is there a by-election happening?

Nigel Farage dramatically announced that he would step down from parliament and call a by-election in his Clacton seat, which he would contend after claiming he was the victim of “an establishment stitch-up”.

His decision to force a contest followed continued questions about a £5m donation he received from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne and gifts from a convicted criminal, George Cottrell.

Full list of candidates

Tendring District Council has confirmed a total of 34 candidates - a record for any parliamentary contest.

They are as follows:

Nigel Farage – Reform UK

Count Binface – Count Binface Party

Nick the Incredible Flying Brick – Monster Raving Loony Party

William Clouston – Social Democratic Party

Martin Davies – Freedom Alliance

Laurence Fox – Reclaim

Adham Alkhatip – Forward Party

Howling Laud Hope – Monster Raving Loony Party

Ketankumar Pipaliya – UKVoice

James Ransley – Consensus Party

Kai Stephens – British Democratic Party

John Stevens – Rejoin EU Party

Baron Von Thunderclap – Monster Raving Loony Party

Marcus White – Everyone is God party

Marc Wilkinson – Independent

Pamela Walford – Independent

Gerry Smith – Independent

Daniel Pocock – Independent

Nicholas Pelas – Independent

Martyn O'Brien – Independent

Michael O'Keeffe – Independent

Derrick Morris – Independent

Amy Morris – Independent

Stephen Ingram – Independent

Abi Hookway - Independent

Robin Green – Independent

Tony Francis – Independent

Attieh Fard – Independent

Andy Erlam – Independent

Glenn Cummings – Independent

Rees Cowne – Independent

Woke Trump Carrzee – Independent

Tony Cane – Independent

Joseph 77 – Independent

Who is Count Binface?

After all other major political parties refused to stand in the Clacton by election, Nigel Farage’s main competitor has emerged as Count Binface.

The satirical character has pledged to abolish VAR in football, conscript people who play loud music on public transport and “nationalise Adele”

The comedian, who is described as an “independent space warrior” and wears a bin on his head, has contested a number of elections, including contests against Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak and most recently the by-election in Makerfield, where he received 95 votes.

The man behind the mask is Jonathan David Harvey, a comedian who has has worked on shows including Have I Got News For You and the Thick of It.

Watch: Voters in Clacton say they have 'lost hope' ahead of by-election

Count Binface would beat Nigel Farage in Clacton if all Britons could vote in by-election, poll finds

Count Binface would beat Nigel Farage in a head-to-head contest in Clacton if the entire nation was voting, a new poll on the eve of the by-election has found.

New polling from More in Common shows that in a head-to-head contest, 37 per cent of Britons want Count Binface to win the seat, while only 32 per cent would back the Reform UK leader.

Green Party voters were most likely to prefer Count Binface to win, with 62 per cent saying so, followed by 56 per cent of Liberal Democrat voters and 54 per cent of Labour voters.

Read the full story here:

Count Binface would beat Farage in Clacton if all Britons could vote, poll finds

Nigel Farage begins final push to reclaim seat in battle with Count Binface

Nigel Farage is hours away from facing Count Binface in a crunch by-election, as voters in Clacton-on-Sea prepare to head to the polls on Thursday.

The Reform UK leader is out campaigning in the constituency in a final push to garner support in the contest.