It is lunchtime in the seaside town of Clacton-on-Sea, and things are heating up.
It’s partly the stifling August temperatures, which have beckoned delighted holidaymakers to the English coast on a sweltering Wednesday afternoon. But there is also a curious energy coming from the town centre just a few streets away, where a small flyer is advertising an “open air public meeting” for candidates standing in the town’s upcoming by-election.
