Should Nigel Farage resign as Reform chief after by-election stunt? Take our ballot and have your say
Both supporters and rivals of Farage and Reform have highlighted that he was humiliated despite winning in Clacton, and he now stands to be dealt another significant blow
Farage was dealt a huge blow in today’s election – despite winning(Image: PoliticsUK)
Nigel Farage has been left exposed and weakened during what should be a victory lap for the Reform leader after a critical win in his Clacton constituency – with voters questioning whether he should remain in post after coming face-to-Binface with a “joke” candidate.
The Farage vs Count Binface byelection ended largely as expected, with the Reform MP taking the majority of votes with 22,239. Binface was, by comparison, a distant second on 9,455, but the comedy candidate – a self-styled intergalactic space warrior – did score the support of 26.9 percent of the local electorate while Farage won 63.34 percent.
The results mean that the Reform leader did worse than anticipated after early polls had suggested he would score 70 percent of the vote, triggering real questions about his continued presence in British politics.
Farage received immediate and widespread criticism for not attending the results of the vote this morning, choosing instead to remain at a Reform event after claiming he was warned by Essex Police he faced a “credible threat”.
Essex Police has disputed this, and deputy Reform leader Richard Tice later revealed he had chosen not to attend the count on the advice of his private security personnel.
The decision – which he justified with a sneering statement saying he would not “be demeaned and humiliated by nobodies” – did not sit well in the political world, both from parties opposed to Reform and from within Farage’s own ranks.
Among the party faithful criticising him for the move was high-profile supporter Tim Montgomerie, a journalist who founded the Tory blog Conservative Home, but defected in 2024 to Reform. He said it was a “good result” but added that Farage “should be on every tv screen this morning” and said he has been acting in a “puzzling” manner since his win.
He wrote on X: “But this recently far too dominant aggrieved tone is still with us. It’s not good. You don’t skip your own victory count without a much better explanation.
“Anger from politicians can work but only if it’s on behalf of others – not yourself. He’s distracting from his victory. Puzzling.” Farage now faces further scrutiny from the House of Commons that could see voters forced to take to the polls for a third time to cement his place as an MP – setting taxpayers back £700,000.
Do you think Nigel Farage should resign as Reform leader? Take our poll and have your say
Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Daniel Greenberg is investigating whether Farage should have declared a £5 million donation from cryptocurrency tycoon Christopher Harborne, which he received before first taking a seat in the Commons in the 2024 general election.
The probe into the alleged failure to register an interest was suspended after the Reform UK leader triggered the contest by resigning amid scrutiny over his and the party’s finances. But it is now automatically running again after Mr Farage was returned as MP for Clacton in a race boycotted by the other main Westminster parties, who dismissed it as a political stunt.
Labour, the Tories and the Liberal Democrats said his victory would not draw a line under the controversy over the money.
Mr Farage has said the gift was not political and insisted he has done nothing wrong.
Under the Commons’ rules, new MPs are required to register any gifts worth more than £300 they received in the previous 12 months, except where the gift “could not be reasonably thought by others” to relate to their political activities.
If Mr Greenberg believes that Farage has broken the rules, he can refer the case to the Commons Standards Committee. The committee could then recommend a suspension from Parliament which would then be decided on by MPs. If that suspension is at least 10 sitting days, it would trigger a recall petition.
If that petition is signed by 10% of eligible registered voters in Clacton, Farage would lose his seat and another by-election would be held.
