Nigel Farage Wins By-Election After Resigning Over Gift Allegations

In short:

Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, won the Clacton by-election.

He had resigned and run again due to questions about a £5 million gift.

What's next?

An investigation into Mr. Farage will start again now that he has won.

Mr. Farage won the by-election after saying he would not attend the final count.

In July, Mr. Farage said he would quit as an MP and run again due to an investigation into a £5 million gift he did not declare.

Mr. Farage got 22,239 votes, more than he got in the 2024 general election.

Before the result was announced, Mr. Farage said he would win.

He told his supporters, 'The verdict has now come in … you haven't heard it yet.'

Mr. Farage said, 'It is a convincing, overwhelming win.' His supporters then chanted his name.

A sign that said 'I'm with Nigel Farage' was seen in Clacton.

Mr. Farage said he would not attend the official count to avoid being disrespected.

He claimed that Essex Police told him there was a plan to disrupt the count, but the police did not confirm this.

The police said they were working to keep everyone safe during the count.

The person in charge of the count said there was no problem with finishing the count that night.

The turnout for the by-election was 44.37%, which is higher than some by-elections but lower than others.

Mr. Farage framed the election as a contest between the people and the establishment.

He competed against 33 other candidates, including 20 independents and some from the Monster Raving Loony Party.

One of his main rivals was a man who wore a bin on his face.

Farage vs Binface

The man, called Count Binface, got 9,455 votes.

Before the result, Mr. Farage said Count Binface was the candidate for the establishment.

Mr. Farage said, 'You literally couldn't make it up.'

A man voted for Count Binface and wore a shirt with his picture on it.

Count Binface responded to Mr. Farage's comment by saying he was not part of the establishment.

Voters in Clacton had to use a long ballot paper to cast their votes.

One voter said, 'It's a joke, an absolute joke. I think the whole thing is a farce.'

Some voters said they would rather be doing something else on the nice day.

One voter said, '[I'd rather be] hanging out at the beach.'

It was a nice day for voters to go to the polls in Clacton.

Farage still faces questions about his finances.

Mr. Farage became well-known for campaigning for Britain to leave the European Union.

He was a member of the European Parliament for over 20 years and tried to get a seat in the UK parliament seven times before he was elected in 2024.

Mr. Farage's party has been doing well in Britain this year, but he faced questions in April about a £5 million payment he did not declare.

A seagull flies above the sign for Clacton Pier.

In July, it was reported that Mr. Farage did not declare benefits he got from a British financier.

These benefits included staff and the use of a property in London.

In the UK, new MPs have to declare financial interests and benefits they got in the year before they were elected.

Mr. Farage said he did not need to declare the money because it was a personal gift for his security.

But he was being investigated by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner before the probe was stopped when he called the by-election.

When asked about the investigation, Mr. Farage said, 'Who cares?'

The investigation into Mr. Farage's finances will start again now that he has won.

Parliament will return after the summer break on September 1.

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