In early July, Nigel Farage announced his resignation as member of Parliament for Clacton on Sea, thereby triggering a by-election for his seat.
In a speech that followed recent scrutiny over his financial support, the Reform UK leader added that he would stand in the Clacton by-election in a bid to silence his critics and show he has a mandate with voters.
“I've decided that the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions. This will be a people versus the establishment by election. It's a chance to stick two fingers up to the entire establishment,” he said.
So when will the by-election take place? What will the key issues be? And will Mr Farage win the seat?
When is the Clacton by-election?
The Clacton by-election vote will be held on August 13, Tendring District Council has announced.
Some 34 candidates are running in the vote, including 20 independents and a number of joke contenders. However, Reform, the Social Democratic Party and Rejoin EU are the only established political parties to fight the election.
Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and Restore Britain have all said they will not field candidates in the by-election.
Green leader Zack Polanski said his party would not participate in a “circus”.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch accused Mr Farage of having a “hissy fit”.
The lead opposing candidate to challenge Farage is the satirical Count Binface, a self-described “intergalactic space warrior” with a bin for a head.
What are the key issues in the by-election?
Given that Farage is the only member of the big parties standing in the Clacton by-election, the vote will come down to whether or not voters believe in him rather than local issues.
In his resignation statement, Mr Farage made it clear that he views the forthcoming contest as being a “people versus the establishment” vote.
Having led the polls for over a year, the by-election will now provide a major test of both Reform UK’s momentum and Mr Farage’s leadership and popularity.
With that said, Count Binface has not held back on the number of pledges he is making. Some of the Count’s manifesto promises are directed specifically against Mr Farage, as he has said “MPs who resign mid-Parliament to be banned from the resulting by-election”.
What are the Clacton by-election odds?
In the 2024 general election, Mr Farage won comfortably, earning 21,225 for a 46.2% share of the vote.
He earned a majority of 8,405, with Giles Watkings of the Conservatives in second with 12,820 votes, and Labour’s Jovan Owusu-Nepaul in third with 7,448 votes.
Betting odds are strongly pointing to a win for Reform - but a shock win for Count Binface isn’t completely out of the question.
As of Thursday, July 30, William Hill were giving odds of 1/16 on a Reform victory, with Binface priced at 8/1.
