‘I went to Clacton and found what residents actually take into consideration “Mini Trump” Nigel Farage’

Voters in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, told our reporter they believe the by-election is “waste of money” and one bus driver there even compared Nigel Farage to Donald Trump

Locals in Clacton have blasted Nigel Farage for “wasting money” on a by-election which could set back the taxpayer around £200,000.

Few things can steer chat away from the weather during a heatwave in a UK seaside town but Mr Farage’s antics has certainly turned up the heat in his Essex constituency.

Mr Farage has been an MP for just over two years but the people of Clacton could soon hit the polls again to pick between the leader of Reform UK and Count Binface – a comedian who has been the only person to announce they’ll run against Farage.

Some locals in Clacton accused Farage’s move as being a “waste of money” while complaining the hundreds of thousands it could cost for a by-election could be better spent on the area instead.

With visitors hitting the pier with ice cream dripping down their hands and tucking into fish and chips and a drink on a hot July day, it could be easy to miss Clacton-on-Sea, and the rest of Farage’s Essex constituency, have been pulled into an uncertain political tussle.

Clacton-based bus driver Lee Sommerville, 52, slammed the alleged intentions behind Mr Farage’s massive gamble and claimed it was linked to the standard’s probe into the £5million gift the MP received from Thai-based billionaire Christopher Harborne.

Mr Sommerville, speaking to the Mirror, said: “It’s to delay the investigation, point blank. So, there must be obviously some truth behind what has been claimed.”

The bus driver complained that Farage was “never here” and even dubbed the Reform UK leader a “mini Trump”. He said: “And as an MP he’s never here so, he always either in America or off doing other things and you never see him so what’s the good of having an MP when he’s never around.”

Mr Sommerville added: “He’s a mini Trump. He has been around Trump too much and he has picked up all of Trump’s bad habits.”

The 52-year-old slammed the state of the roads and the high street while calling for money that would be spent on a by-election to be put into the area. He said: “Money down the drain when it could be a lot better going elsewhere.”

Mr Sommerville added: “I can think of a lot better things for that money to be spent on than a by-election.” He added: “I am actually a bus driver, the bus service here is shocking. I’ve only just started and the bus service here is absolutely shocking, the roads are shocking. You look round the town, it’s so run down it needs improvement.”

Despite the blend of sun-seeking families with older locals soaking up the UV it was clear something else was people’s minds, aside from the UV factor and where they should dip their toes into the North Sea.

Another Clacton local, Nigel Lindsay, also dubbed the by-election a “waste of money” and called the resignation a “strange move”. Mr Lindsay, a school worker, told the Mirror: “I don’t know why, it’s a distraction from something else? It seems a bit strange to step down and then put yourself up for election again it’s a bit of a weird thing to do.”

He added: “I just think it’s a bit of a waste of taxpayers’ money to do that. I understand that the other parties have not put anybody up for election and that’s probably a good idea, unless they did a unity a group from all of those other parties just to campaign, that might be a good way forward.”

Mr Lindsay, who has lived in the area since October, said things “had to change” but said he was not sure Farage was the person for it.

The 67-year-old man said: “Things do need to change but I’m not sure this is the best way forward.” Lindsay added: “Unfortunately I think we are in a political system that fights people against each other and all of the parties probably some very useful things so working together more so than fighting each other would be a better way forward.”

While the future of Mr Farage in Clacton is uncertain, the strong thoughts on the party leader battling his financial controversies are strong.

Mr Farage, on Tuesday, revealed he will resign as an MP triggering a by-election in his own seat, which he will also run in.

The under-fire Reform leader also offered for Reform to cover the costs of the by-election – which could pass £200,000 – but the Government has put out that idea.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, in a statement on Tuesday night, said public funds must be used to cover by-election costs. It added that funds coming from the public purse would “maintain the independence and impartiality of the electoral process.”

So far Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and Restore have all said they will not run candidates in this election – with Farage’s only opponent so far being comedian Count Binface.