Nigel Farage faces a difficult summer battling a bin after throwing what his opponents have branded a ‘hissy fit’ and triggering a by-election in Clacton-on-Sea
Nigel Farage faces a summer of squabbling with a bin after throwing what his critics branded a “hissy fit”.
The Reform UK leader will try and convince voters in Clacton-on-Sea to vote for him rather than parody candidate Count Binface in a baffling by-election. Mr Farage, who was being investigated by Parliament’s standards commissioner, triggered the humiliating contest by announcing he would step down as an MP on Tuesday.
But with other parties steering clear of the contest, the human dustbin is likely to be Mr Farage’s main rival. This morning bookies’ odds shortened on a Binface victory.
Lee Phelps, a spokesman for William Hill, said: “Count Binface continues to garner support in our Clacton by-election market and we now make him a 7/2 shot to steal the Kent seat from Nigel Farage, down from 5/1 yesterday.
“Reform’s odds remain unchanged at 1/6, but with Binface’s price continuing to shorten, punters clearly feel he has plenty left in the tank.”
It raises the intriguing – but far-fetched – possibility that the Reform leader’s gamble could result in a catastrophic embarrassment. This morning Labour minister Sir Chris Bryant said he would probably not vote if he lived in Clacton.
Asked why Labour was not standing, Sir Chris told Sky News: “Because I can’t see the point. I mean, this is just a farce without any jokes in it.” He went on: “Nigel had a hissy fit, I just don’t think that we should play along with that game and, I’m guessing he’ll come back.”
Mr Farage is being investigated by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner over an undeclared £5million gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne that he accepted in 2024. It is expected the investigation will resume if he returns to Parliament.
Sir Chris said: “So I know what Nigel’s trying to do. He’s trying to pretend that he’s Donald Trump, and that they’re all out to get me in for me and for me, all of that kind of stuff.
“I just don’t think it washes with most ordinary members of the public.”
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.
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.”