Nigel Farage has been re-elected as MP for Clacton, comfortably beating Count Binface and 32 other candidates to reclaim the seat he quit two months ago.
But the Reform UK leader was nowhere to be seen when the result was declared, having pulled out of the count at the last minute over what his party called a “credible threat” against him – a claim Essex Police say they never made.
Critics questioned why, after winning “fairly convincingly”, he decided not to face the cameras or his own volunteers.
Within hours of his win, the parliamentary standards investigation into an undeclared £5m donation from the crypto tycoon Christopher Harborne – paused when he resigned – was reopened.
Independent readers had plenty to say about the missing “credible threat”, the £5m question that still won’t go away, and what the numbers actually say about his mandate.
Here’s what you had to say:
An insult to the voters of Clacton
The BBC have confirmed with Essex police that there was no “credible threat”. Not turning up to the count is an insult to the voters of Clacton and to all those who worked through the night to bring him the result.
A closer look at the turnout numbers
An interesting result, considering the last few elections. I wonder whether, had the other major parties stood, Mr Farage might have been lucky to squeeze in, bearing in mind the proclivities of the Clacton electorate:
2026 turnout 44% (Reform 63%, Binface 27%, Rejoin EU 1%) – 2024 turnout 58% (Reform 46%, Conservative 28%, Labour 16%) – 2019 turnout 61% (Conservative 72%, Labour 16%, Lib Dem 6%)
Demeaned and humiliated by nobodies
‘I am damned if I am going to stand on a stage, having won a resounding victory… and be demeaned and humiliated by nobodies.’
Is this how Farage sees the people of Clacton who have just re-elected him? You can only feel sorry for those taken in by the guff and propaganda.
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I know who I believe
He said he was advised by the police not to attend the count because of the risk of significant disruption. The police have stated that they didn’t advise any candidate not to attend. I know who I believe. Perhaps he stayed away in order to sort out his story regarding the £5 million ‘gift’.
Farage actually gained votes
Farage actually increased the number of votes and his share of the vote. He got over a thousand extra votes in 2026 – up from 21,225 in 2024 to 22,239.
Set himself up for the fall
Le Petit Fromage did a runner because he’s having a strop. He was hoping to avoid accountability and scrutiny over his dodgy financial affairs, but has now realised he set himself up for the fall. Facing voters and the media would have exposed him to further embarrassment.
Regardless, the inquiry into his dodgy £5m bung will continue whether he likes it or not. The thing with Farage is he thinks the UK is like the US. He remains just another MP, one out of 650, and all the rules still apply to him.
He threw everything at this by-election
Nigel Farage threw everything at this by-election – he even abandoned the Manchester Mayoralty election, diverting his activists nationally to Clacton. He had no credible opposition party against him, only a satirical bin from outer space. Farage gained just a thousand more votes than in 2024, yet Reform UK are 50 per cent higher in national polls than they were then.
The £5m is not going away any time soon
The £5m is not going away any time soon. Farage says the gift was fine because he wasn’t an active politician at the time. That is not how the member’s interest register works for new MPs – they’re all given the same wording, that they had to declare benefits others might reasonably think could influence their votes or actions. It isn’t a matter of proving an MP was influenced, just that they might have been. So do you think £5m might influence someone’s actions?
What happens if Labour can’t deliver by 2028
“But while he may have won the battle for the constituency of Clacton, he still risks losing the fight for the country,” says Kate Devlin. That might be true today. But if Labour fail to ease people’s material conditions by 2028, I think people will turn to Reform in the hope their radical solutions will help them.
He doesn’t want to be asked questions
The investigation into Farage made him panic enough to resign as an MP to trigger the by-election in Clacton – because if there was no investigation, he wouldn’t have even resigned.
He was not at the count because he wouldn’t feel safe, but he doesn’t want to be asked questions about his dealings with George Cotterell and the £5m donation. Those who voted for Farage do not care that he never visits Clacton, as he’s too busy living the life of a multi-millionaire to really care about his constituents.
He chose not to declare the £5m
Anderson has basically said Essex Police are lying in their statement. No surprise – he’s hardly likely to say Farage didn’t want to thank the council staff, his volunteers or his voters, or that he was scared of the photos of Count Binface and all the other novelty candidates going viral.
Farage got himself into that position by calling a by-election – because it’s reasonable for people to think £5m might influence any given MP.
Some of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity.
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