Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, resigned from Parliament earlier this month to trigger a by-election in his constituency of Clacton. He did this voluntarily. Nobody asked him to. He then announced he would stand in the resulting by-election, against himself, to win the seat he had just given up.
He is under investigation by the parliamentary standards commissioner for failing to declare a £5 million gift from a billionaire Reform donor before his election. A separate inquiry concerns undisclosed benefits, including staffing, housing, and security, provided by a political ally. Sixty per cent of the British public say he has not been honest about his finances. Among his own Reform voters, the figure is forty per cent.
Every major party, Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, and the Greens, has declined to field a candidate, describing the exercise as a vanity project unworthy of engagement. The field is therefore sparse.
His principal opponent is Count Binface, a self-described intergalactic space warrior from the planet Sigma IX, who campaigns in a metal bin strapped to his head. Count Binface's policy platform includes capping the price of Flake 99 ice creams at 99 pence, building “at least one affordable house,” and the general premise that he is not Nigel Farage.
An Ipsos poll of 1,000 British adults, conducted 8–9 July, asked voters who they would prefer to win the by-election. Count Binface leads Farage 33% to 21%. Thirty-two per cent said neither. Thirteen per cent don't know.
Seventy-four per cent of the public believe the standards commissioner should be investigating Farage. Seventy-three per cent say the investigation should continue even if he wins.
The by-election is on August 13. Fifteen candidates have registered, including Laurence Fox and Piers Corbyn.