Nigel Farage faces the voters of Clacton on Thursday in a by-election he called himself – and the town’s verdict on his two years as their MP looks bruising.
In an Independent poll of readers, 87 per cent said they had seen little change since he was elected, against just 6 per cent who felt he had delivered on his promises.
On the ground, that scepticism was echoed by residents describing an MP rarely seen in the constituency, dogged by unresolved allegations over undeclared gifts and donations, and accused by some of triggering the vote purely to head off parliamentary scrutiny of his finances.
With none of the major parties fielding a candidate, voters told The Independent they feel abandoned to a straight fight between Farage and satirical rival Count Binface – with many resenting being cast as the punchline in someone else’s political drama. Here’s what you had to say:
Clacton is not the butt of the joke, Farage is
I find it hilarious that some people believe that by choosing not to stand in Clacton, other parties are somehow depriving the electorate there of democracy. They made their choice in 2024, just like the rest of us. In this by-election they will likely make the same choice, so what would be the point in anyone contesting it?
To be clear about this, Clacton is not the butt of the joke here. Farage is.
Farage has been a dreadfully bad MP
Whatever you think about Reform’s policies, the fact is that Farage has been a dreadfully bad MP. He barely appears in the Commons apart from when he can grandstand on PMQs, reputedly holds no surgeries and doesn’t respond to constituents needing help, and seems to spend most of his time on press conferences and lucrative side hustles for personal gain. The people of Clacton would probably be better represented by Count Binface, who has at least pledged to support the area.
The main parties have badly let Clacton down
The people of Clacton have been badly let down by the main political parties. Their failure to put up candidates is a poor advertisement for British democracy.
I have no time for Farage and I am not a Reform supporter. But for some people, their dislike of Farage seems to have completely clouded their judgment about the wider issue. Whatever you think of Farage, Clacton voters deserve a genuine choice.
His approval rating is in freefall
Reform are essentially a ‘one man band’. The party as a whole is in severe decline in all the polls, with circa a third of their support evaporating over the last months as the corruption and incompetence have been laid bare.
That decline is led by Farage personally, as per latest leader approval ratings: Burnham +12.5, Badenoch -2.2, Davey -6.6, Polanski -20.5, Farage -23.1.
What other cards does Farage have left to play?
No comedy scriptwriter could have bettered this
Clacton’s elected MP visits the States more than he visits Clacton.
Clacton’s MP has to defend claims of breaking financial rules put in place to cover all politicians.
Clacton’s MP resigns. And instantly re-applies for his job at a cost of a cool million to the taxpayer.
Major political parties step back from the Clacton election.
Clacton’s former MP finds himself in a one-on-one scrap with a bin.
No comedy scriptwriter could have bettered this.
Not standing tells voters they’re irrelevant
None of the major parties wants to lose to Farage and that’s why they’re not standing, anything else is just background noise.
Whatever you think of Farage and his antics, politicians have a duty to sell their political wares to all of the people; not doing so tells them they are irrelevant.
This is a stunt pseudo-referendum, not a proper by-election
This is not a proper by-election, it is a self-declared stunt pseudoreferendum called by Mr Farage to try to wriggle out of proper scrutiny of his political financing. What the voters of Clacton should have is a simple question: Do I want Nigel Farage to continue being my MP? With a Yes/No box on the ballot paper. That, unfortunately, is not the option they have.
Calling the by-election has stopped, not paused, the investigation
The Times is saying that Farage was told by his aides that by calling a by-election he was stopping, not pausing, the investigation into the £5m. Doh!
He is going to win. The report is going to be continued and presented to MPs.
They chose the cardboard cutout – and now want the genuine article
Many in Clacton have roots in London and the old saying – after the Lord Mayor’s Show is finished the bin comes in to clean up the mess – should be familiar to them!
Farage was their MP and while he was responsible, did he address any of the local needs? They chose the cardboard cutout and now expect the genuine article to be delivered because the first breeze blew the cutout over.
Whatever the result, it’s a resounding lack of mandate
I’m sure most of us would love to see a surprise win by Binface and, let’s face it, he’d probably make a much better constituency MP for Clacton than the previous one, who was noticeable only by his absence and total lack of benefit to the area. But Farage is likely to win, and his share of the vote is likely to be high due to the nature of the others standing there. I expect both to point to a resounding lack of mandate for Farage.
Farage deserves credit for facing the voters
If Farage’s nearest challenger really only does win 20 per cent of the vote, then Farage’s popularity isn’t plummeting. I am not a Reform supporter but I think Farage deserves a lot of credit for facing the voters, and it’s a shame Starmer didn’t do the same when he was targeted with similar narratives.
He’ll make the most of it and return with an increased vote
Farage will be returning. It could even be on an increased percentage. He’ll make the most of it. Forget the other candidates; a proper anti-corruption candidate should have stood. Local genuine candidates are getting hidden.
Some of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity.
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