Nigel Farage re-elected as MP in Clacton by-election win, but refuses to attend declaration amid disputed claims of 'credible threat' against him

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The returning MP did not attend the declaration after Reform UK made claims of a "credible threat" against him, with Mr Farage himself adding that Essex Police had told him there was an "organised campaign to disrupt and degrade the result".

It is understood that Essex Police did not advise him not to attend the count.

Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice told Nick Ferrari this morning: "His security team were very concerned about a credible threat to his security […] I don't think anybody should have the temerity to question our judgments and our security team's judgments about security and safety. People have no idea what the level of threats and risk we face.

"Ultimately it's not the police who decide as to whether or not Nigel is kept safe. It is his security team. They are tasked with keeping him safe and secure."

The turnout for the by-election was 44.37 per cent, just over 14 per cent down from the 2024 general election.

The by-election was triggered by Mr Farage’s resignation over scrutiny of donations from cryptocurrency tycoon Christopher Harborne. Labour and the Conservatives said his victory would not draw a line under the controversy.

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A record 34 candidates were standing, with satirical candidate Count Binface appearing to be Mr Farage’s main challenger, after the other mainstream parties declined to stand.

In the end, Mr Farage received 22,239 votes, or 62.82 per cent, whilst Count Binface received 9,455 votes, or 26.71 per cent of the vote.

This is up from his 8,405 vote majority, 46.2 per cent, when he won at the 2024 general election.

A total of 32 of the record 34 candidates lost their deposit.

Mr Farage told supporters at an all-night “Farage-fest” event organised by Reform in Essex he would not be attending the count: “I’m not scared of these people, far from it.

”But I’m damned if I’m going to stand on a stage, having won a resounding victory, a ringing endorsement of all that I’ve tried to fight for, and you’ve tried to fight for, and be demeaned and humiliated by nobodies, and I will not sadly be attending the count.”

Mr Farage was due to make what was billed as a “major speech” in Clacton at 10.30am on Friday, but Reform cancelled it, saying he had “already commented on the expected result of the by-election”.

In his speech, Mr Farage said, hours before the result was formally declared: “The verdict is now in, and it is a convincing, overwhelming win with more votes than we got in the general election of 2024.”

He added: “Today the voters in Clacton have stuck up two fingers to the entire political establishment.”

He earlier told GB News: “Look, this is an overwhelming endorsement of me. I have had enough of being judged by mainstream media, being called a criminal.

"Do you know, if I made one sin, if I haven’t filled in a piece of paper, I’ve broken no law, I’ve broken no tax law, I’ve taken no public money, I don’t even own a motorhome.”

Count Binface said he was “the winning candidate of the candidates who bothered to turn up for the results” in the Clacton by-election and that the result had “humiliated” Mr Farage.

The candidate said in a video posted on X: “I can officially say that I am the winning candidate of the candidates who bothered to turn up for the results.

“That’s right, 9,455 actual votes. Just eight weeks ago in Makerfield, I got 95.

“That means I’ve got against Nigel Farage 10,000 per cent more votes than I got against Andy Burnham. What does that tell you?

“Well, it tells you that Nigel, who said that he didn’t want to be humiliated, maybe has been.

“As for me, I’m over the moon. I’m over your moon. I’m over my moons. And what comes next? Well, we shall see.

“But you know what? We know this for a fact. Over one in four people in this constituency would rather have Count Binface as their MP than the leader of Reform UK, and I’m just getting started.”

Before quitting Westminster, Mr Farage was being investigated by the parliamentary standards commissioner Daniel Greenberg over a £5 million gift from Mr Harborne, which he received before taking his seat in the Commons.

Under Commons rules, new MPs are required to register any gifts worth more than £300 they received in the previous 12 months, except where the gift “could not be reasonably thought by others” to relate to their political activities.

That investigation was paused when Mr Farage resigned his seat but will resume if he wins the by-election – as bookmakers have made him the firm favourite to do.

Mr Farage could also face an investigation over support provided by George Cottrell, a long-term ally.

If he is found to have broken the rules and a suspension of more than 10 days is imposed, it could trigger a recall petition and the prospect of Mr Farage facing a second by-election.

Richard Tice said Mr Farage’s “team” judged there was “sufficient anxiety, concern and threats” amid the Clacton by-election.

Asked about the claim on GB News, deputy leader Mr Tice said: “Well, as you can imagine, given everything that’s gone on in recent days and weeks, security is very paramount to all of us at Reform.

“Ultimately, it was judged by Nigel’s team that there was there was sufficient anxiety, and concern, and threats, that meant that whilst of course he would love to have been at the count, ultimately his security counts for more than anything else, and I don’t think anybody, frankly, should in any way question his… team’s judgment on that.”

Asked whether he could say anything more about information the party claims to have received that meant Mr Farage did not want to be on stage, he said: “No, I can’t. But I think we should just trust those tasked with keeping Nigel safe and alive, I hesitate to say, but that’s what the task is.

“And if a credible threat is perceived or a deep anxiety, whatever you want to term it, clearly they’re going to err on the side of caution, and that’s just the reality.

“So, yes, of course, it’s a shame he would have loved to have been there, but security is paramount, and everybody knows we’ve had a very, very difficult few weeks and last couple of months.”

Labour Chair Bridget Phillipson said: “This is no victory for Nigel Farage. The mountain of sleaze and scandal he and Reform are now engulfed in has grown and grown while he’s been trying to distract the public by fighting a by-election against a bin.

“This morning, Nigel Farage shouldn’t be celebrating – he should wake up and smell the coffee. He must come clean with the public and put all the facts on the table over his secret £5 million gift, his relationship with a convicted fraudster, and the other scandals his Party is drowning in.

“Farage’s distraction by-election doesn’t clear his name – it just shows he likely has so much more to hide.”

The Liberal Democrats said Mr Farage had come away from the Clacton by-election “looking daft”.

The party’s Cabinet Office spokeswoman Lisa Smart MP said: “Like most people who win a fight against a bin, Farage has come away looking daft and smelling of yesterday’s chip paper.

“Now that he’s heading back to Westminster, the investigation into his shady financial affairs and £5 million ‘gift’ must crack on. Reform claims to fight for the people, but they answer to crypto-billionaires.

“Triggering a vanity by-election was a blatant attempt to dodge being held to account. The Liberal Democrats have proposed a ‘Clacton clause’ to a Bill going through parliament that would stop a stunt like this being pulled ever again.

“A sitting MP under investigation should never be able to weaponise a by-election into a taxpayer-funded attempt to escape scrutiny.”