The ultra Nigel Farage revalidates the seat in Westminster after defeating the comedian Bin Face

LondonThe ultra Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform Party, regained the seat for the Clacton-on-Sea constituency – southeast England – in Thursday's by-elections called following the his own resignation, in early July. Farage had turned the by-election into a plebiscite between his figure and the Westminster establishment. In objective terms, Farage has achieved a solid victory (22,239 votes, 63.34%), just over a thousand more ballots than in the 2024 general election, with lower turnout now (44.37% compared to 58.7% two years ago).

However, the traditional parties refused to participate in the electoral race, in view of what they considered an attempt to divert attention from the investigation opened by Parliament into a donation of five million pounds that Farage received from the cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne. The investigation will resume once Parliament returns to session in September.

Contrary to what is usual, Farage did not attend the official announcement of the results yesterday due to a “credible threat” against his physical integrity, according to party sources, which Essex police allegedly communicated to them. However, sources from the police force denied this version.

The controversial MP limited himself to celebrating the early morning victory at an event with his supporters, dubbed Farage Fest. Once the results were read aloud, the now-elected MP simply posted a photo of himself taken during the celebration on X with a single sentence: “The Clacton result speaks for itself”.

Boycott by the main parties

In any case, this Thursday's election has been one of the most unusual in recent British politics, with a counterpoint difficult to ignore. The boycott, among others, by Labour, Conservatives, and Liberal Democrats has led to his closest rival being the satirical candidate Count Binface (Trash Can Face), who, usually disguised as an astronaut with a trash can on his head, has obtained 9,455 votes, 26.93% of the total. Extraordinary figures that can be interpreted as a protest against Farage, considering that in previous by-elections in which Binface had participated, he had never exceeded 320 votes.

The withdrawal of the major parties left the field open for a Farage victory in a traditionally Brexit-leaning constituency against a mosaic of 34 candidates, the highest number ever recorded in a constituency for British parliamentary elections. In addition to Binface, there were several independent candidates and other prominent figures from the far-right. And while the result is overwhelming in percentage terms, it is less impressive in absolute numbers of votes.

All this allows for a more nuanced reading of the Reform Party leader's victory. Farage retains a solid base in Clacton, a coastal district in Essex that became one of his main strongholds following Brexit. But the high proportion of Binface's votes also shows that a considerable part of the electorate has turned the election into a protest, a joke, or both at the same time. Behind the character of Count Binface is the screenwriter and comedian Jonathan David Harvey.