Reform UK calls on activists to abandon Manchester Mayoral election and head to Clacton to assist Farage by-election
The Reform UK leader announced he would stand down from the seat he has held since 2024 in what he dubbed a “people versus the establishment” contest.
Reform UK has called on activists to abandon the Manchester Mayoral election and redirect their efforts 250 miles away to Clacton, dubbed Nigel Farage’s “fake” contest.
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According to a WhatsApp message shared with Reform UK members in north-west England, party members were told: “The message could not be more clear. We now need all of our fantastic activists, branch officers and councillors to come and help us in Clacton.”
Activists were told to complete a form to volunteer for the byelection in Essex, which read: “We look forward to seeing you in Clacton.”
Farage’s party looked to secure its greatest success yet in the Greater Manchester Mayoral election, which came after Andy Burnham’s success in Makerfield saw him redirect his focus towards Number 10, leaving his role in Manchester empty.
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Reform UK scored significant gains across 2 million voters in the May local elections, amassing 106 seats, which polling indicates positions them closely behind Labour.
But the mission for the Manchester Mayor seems to have stalled, following Farage’s decision to call a snap by-election in his constituency of Clacton following questions around his financial interests.
Farage is one of many figures in the party who faces scrutiny from the National Crime Agency regarding their funding – particularly exemplified by a £1m donation to a fundraising vehicle before the 2024 general election.
With all eyes on Greater Manchester, Labour’s candidate, Bev Craig, seems set to be the current favourite to win.
The byelection will be the biggest ever held in Britain and is set to take place on July 30th. The Clacton contest is expected to take place just one week later, on August 6th.
The shift away from the Mayoral race and towards Clacton may suggest that the party is losing faith in its ability to win hearts and minds in Manchester.
Farage announced on Tuesday that he was standing down from his Clacton seat and would put himself forward again in what he claims is a “people versus the establishment” contest.
But the efficacy of the move has been called into question, as Farage’s main rivals announced just hours later that they planned to boycott the election.
To date, the only challengers going up against Farage are right-wing candidate Laurence Fox and satirical candidate Count Binface.
The Clacton election has been slammed by Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, as a “fake by-election”; Labour called it a “circus”, and the Lib Dems dubbed it “Farage’s vanity project”.
A Reform spokesperson said: “The WhatsApp message in question was shared with every single Reform UK branch chair across the country. It was not targeted at one specific area or region.
“We are taking both by-elections incredibly seriously. Our campaign plans for the Greater Manchester mayor by-election remain unchanged”.