Farage beats Binface. The crown remains in place, but the celebrations are short-lived

Nigel Farage is the king of Clacton; he has been for fifteen years and remains so even after Thursday’s by-election, in which he went head-to-head with 33 bizarre candidates, the most formidable of whom was Count Binface – a sort of ‘Er Monnezza’, a knight disguised as a rubbish bin who nonetheless secured a very respectable 27 per cent of the vote. Farage won, but he is not out of the woods yet: on 7 July, he decided to call a by-election to let voters have their say on the thorny issue of the £5 million he received as a gift from a cryptocurrency billionaire, Christopher Harborne, prior to the 2024 election, and on the dubious activities of individuals linked to him, including his trusted associate George Cottrell, known as ‘Posh George’, who has a history of fraud as well as the ability to move huge sums on behalf of third parties – 20 million in 2024 according to the Financial Times – by betting on Donald Trump’s re-election. However, the ball is now back in the investigators’ court; they are due to question Farage next week and, should they find evidence of irregularities, will refer the matter to the Parliamentary Standards Committee. And from there, the matter could go back to the ballot box in Clacton-on-Sea, a derelict, ageing, white and poor coastal town – the cradle of Brexit and one of the first to welcome a UKIP MP when Douglas Carswell defected from the Tories in 2014. But times are changing, and just as it is not certain that, with climate change, the town might not regain some of its former tourist appeal – who knows, it might become a new Capalbio one day, or an Ibiza – it is equally not certain that Farage’s loyal supporters will not lose patience with him, despite the pro-Nigel bunting hanging from the windows that the British media have been showing ad nauseam in recent weeks.

He received a thousand more votes than last time, which is not that impressive when you consider he was up against a host of absurd and farcical candidates, who probably only put themselves forward to force him onto the stage with them at the moment of victory, as if it were a parish play or a carnival float. Farage refused to go on stage, citing security concerns that had apparently been suggested to him by the police, who, however, denied this. He shrewdly skipped the ridiculous photo opportunity and declined to deliver the acceptance speech he’d prepared, limiting himself to a succinct statement: “The voters of Clacton have given the entire political establishment the middle finger.” Was he fearing pies in the face or serious threats, such as those made frighteningly real by the violent death of Ann Widdecombe in her own home? We don’t know, but in the meantime, on the horizon for the indestructible Farage – a man who has survived testicular cancer and a helicopter crash – lies the risk of having to face the serious candidates that the parties will undoubtedly field should there be a return to the polls.

Andy Burnham’s Labour Party is enjoying a welcome rebound in the polls and has regained its position as the leading party, but Kemi Badenoch’s Tories have now stabilised at around 20 per cent. What’s more, she – a black woman – is certainly not unwelcome among voters for Reform, a party that was causing a stir last September with 32 per cent support and has now slipped to 24 per cent. Now she also has the new ‘Restore Britain’ party, led by her former MP Rupert Lowe – who is even further to the right (he wants the death penalty and for all the ‘Roggero’ jewellers in the Kingdom to be able to shoot without hindrance) – hot on her heels, and it is creeping up the ranks among the far-right electorate. To really send a strong and clear message to Westminster and avoid being accused of spending public money on a pointless vote, Farage needed overwhelming figures – 63 per cent is not enough, especially when there is no one on the other side – and a high turnout. Forty-four per cent is respectable for this sort of vote but does not indicate mass mobilisation.

It should have been a walk in the park, despite a ballot paper 90 centimetres long, but it turned out to be somewhat more nuanced, not least because Reform continues to have a problem with a quarrelsome and inadequate leadership. Regarding the investigation, Farage has pre-empted the issue, saying that “he may have forgotten to fill in a form” to declare the 5 million he was given for security, but also as a reward for the 27 years of his life spent fighting for Brexit. Otherwise, he has been unusually terse.