Nigel Farage faces record 34‑candidate Clacton by‑election amid donation probe

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage resigned his Clacton‑on‑Sea seat after a parliamentary standards investigation into an undisclosed £5 million donation from cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne. He called a snap by‑election for 13 August, framing it as a “people versus the establishment” contest.

The election will feature a historic 34 candidates – the highest number ever in a UK parliamentary poll – including joke contender Count Binface, members of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, actor‑activist Laurence Fox, SDP leader William Clouston and several independents. The four main parties (Labour, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Greens) have all boycotted the vote, calling Farage’s move a publicity stunt.

Reform UK councillors in Gloucestershire announced plans to “camp out” in Clacton to support Farage, drawing criticism from local opposition leaders. Recent polling shows Reform’s support slipping to 23 %, just above Labour’s 22 %, narrowing the party’s previous lead.

Farage has also urged an immediate general election, arguing that the newly appointed prime minister Andy Burnham lacks a democratic mandate.