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The by-election in Clacton triggered by Nigel Farage’s decision to quit and fight to regain his seat will be held on August 13, Tendring District Council has announced. The race was set in motion on Thursday morning (July 9), when Reform UK Chief Whip Lee Anderson moved the writ in the House of Commons.
Under the rules, polling day must fall within 21 to 27 working days of the writ being moved – putting the vote in a mid-August window. Reform had pushed for an earlier date of 6 August, but the final call now sits with the local authority.
The by-election is happening because Farage dramatically resigned as MP for Clacton.
He then immediately announced he would stand again in the vote he created. The Reform UK leader is pitching the contest as a “people versus the establishment” showdown.
But critics have branded the move a blatant publicity stunt, accusing Farage of trying to turn the by-election into a political circus while a parliamentary standards investigation continues into an alleged £5million funding scandal, Al Jazeera reported.
In a jaw-dropping twist, the biggest parties have refused to play. Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens are all boycotting the contest, arguing that standing candidates would only “validate” Farage’s attempt to make the vote a distraction.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves signed off the resignation under historic parliamentary rules, but took a sharp swipe at the Reform boss, describing the whole episode as a “farce” and a “desperate distraction” – adding that if he wants to spend the summer “arguing with a bin”, she won’t stop him.
With mainstream parties sitting it out, Clacton has descended into a surreal novelty-candidate battle.
Count Binface – the satirical “space politician” portrayed by comedian Jon Harvey – has emerged as Farage’s headline rival, calling himself a “unity candidate” on the basis that he is simply “not Nigel Farage”. His tongue-in-cheek pledges include price-capping a 99 Flake at 99p.
He is not the only eccentric entrant. A campaigner dressed as a giant fox is also joining the ballot, taking aim at Farage’s past support for fox-hunting. Other names circling include Laurence Fox’s Reclaim Party, Piers Corbyn and the Official Monster Raving Loony Party.
Despite the chaos, bookmakers still make Farage the overwhelming favourite to win – reportedly as short as 1-10 to hold the seat.
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