A by-election for the United Kingdom parliamentary constituency of Clacton was held on 13 August 2026, following the resignation of Nigel Farage, its member of Parliament. Farage, who is the leader of Reform UK, had represented Clacton since the 2024 general election. He announced on 7 July 2026 that he would vacate his seat to trigger a by-election and re-contest the constituency; his resignation was accepted the next day. The announcement came amid parliamentary scrutiny of Farage's personal finances, and allegations concerning undeclared gifts and support.
The Labour Party, the Conservative Party, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and Restore Britain did not contest the by-election, leaving Count Binface, a novelty candidate, as the main challenger to Farage. Thirty-two other candidates were nominated, with the total of 34 breaking the record, previously set in a 2008 Haltemprice and Howden by-election, for the most candidates standing in any UK parliamentary election. The list included 18 independent candidates.
Farage was returned with 22,239 votes (63.3% of the 44.4% turnout), followed by Binface with 9,455 (26.9%). The other 32 candidates polled between 7 and 492 (1.4%) votes, losing their deposits.
Binface's 26.9% share of the vote was thought to be the highest ever recorded by a novelty candidate in a UK parliamentary election. The result also represented a record vote total for Binface, who had previously contested several elections.
Background Clacton Clacton is a coastal constituency in Essex, in the East of England. It is centred on Clacton-on-Sea and also includes other towns and villages in the Tendring area, including Frinton-on-Sea, Walton-on-the-Naze and Jaywick. According to 2021 census data, its residents are 96% ethnically White, and 44% of its residents belong to social grades A, B and C1. The average gross household income is £33,147, below the average of £42,397 for Great Britain as a whole, and the home-ownership rate is 73%, against 64% nationally. In the 2016 membership referendum, an estimated 73% of those who voted chose to leave the European Union. The constituency is also known for being a target seat for right-wing populist parties; the 2014 Clacton by-election was contested and won by Douglas Carswell, who had resigned as the member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency after defecting from the Conservative Party to the UK Independence Party (UKIP; at the time also led by Nigel Farage). The result made Carswell UKIP's first elected MP.
Investigation into Farage
Farage's declaration that he was standing down followed reports of parliamentary investigations into his financial interests, his relationships with wealthy people, and other matters. Specifically, the investigations involved: a payment of £5 million from the Thailand-based British businessman and cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne; possible gifts in kind from George Cottrell, a British financier and political activist who was convicted of felony wire fraud in the United States in 2017; allegations of lobbying the Bank of England regarding cryptocurrency; declaration of several properties. Farage said that the legal advice he received was that he did not need to declare the £5m gift from Harborne.
Farage's resignation interrupted the investigation process, though it would resume if he returned to Parliament. Were Farage to be suspended from Parliament for more than 10 sitting days or 14 calendar days, it would trigger a recall petition, which if successful would result in a further by-election. In addition to the parliamentary investigation, on the day of Farage's resignation as an MP it was reported that the £5 million payment from Harborne had also been reported to the United Kingdom's National Crime Agency by bankers under the anti-money laundering suspicious activity report scheme. Other donations to Reform UK and other party leaders have also been flagged under the scheme.
Vacation of the seat On 7 July 2026 Farage announced that he would vacate his seat as MP for Clacton and stand again in the resulting by-election. He gave the investigations into him and his treatment by the press as reasons. Farage denied wrongdoing and said that he wanted voters in Clacton, rather than the press or parliamentary authorities, to decide whether he should continue as their MP. On 8 July, Rachel Reeves, the chancellor of the exchequer, formalised his resignation by appointing him to the office of profit post of Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead to vacate his seat (as outright resignation from the Commons is not possible). While objecting to his motives for resigning, she said "if he wants to spend the summer arguing with a bin, I won't stop him".
The writ to trigger the by-election was moved on 9 July, and the date of 13 August was selected. In the 21st century, there have been four instances where an incumbent MP has resigned and immediately stood in the ensuing by-election: David Davis at the 2008 Haltemprice and Howden by-election, Douglas Carswell at the 2014 Clacton by-election, Mark Reckless at the 2014 Rochester and Strood by-election and Zac Goldsmith at the 2016 Richmond Park by-election. All but Goldsmith retained their seats.
Candidates The Statement of Persons Nominated was published after nominations closed on 17 July 2026. Thirty-four candidates stood, breaking the record of 26 set at the 2008 Haltemprice and Howden by-election. The large number of candidates resulted in the creation of the UK's largest ballot papers, measuring in length, which cost four times more to print than regular ballots. Ian Davidson, chief executive of Tendring District Council, told the BBC that the ballots, being longer than some of the tables used to count them on, meant that tables would have to be doubled for sorting ballots into batches before they could be verified and counted. Declined to stand Shortly after Farage's announcement, the Labour Party, the Conservative Party, the Green Party, the Liberal Democrats and Restore Britain all stated they would not contest the by-election. A Labour spokesperson called the situation "pathetic", while Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe said his party would not participate in "a Reform-sponsored media circus". Green Party deputy leader Mothin Ali initially said (on 7 July) that the Greens stand in "every election", but the party confirmed later that day that it would not nominate a candidate, describing the by-election as being designed to "serve Nigel Farage's personal political ambitions".
The Conservatives were reported to be targeting the seat in the next UK general election, but the party's leader, Kemi Badenoch, said that they would not stand in "Farage's fake by-election". On 7 August, she wrote an open letter saying her party would participate in any second by-election. The film journalist David Hughes, who stood as Lord Buckethead for the Official Monster Raving Loony Party at the 2019 general election in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, said that he was finished with Buckethead and endorsed Count Binface instead.
Campaign Reform UK Farage denied wrongdoing and described the contest as a "people versus the establishment" by-election. Reform offered to pay for the costs of the by-election, estimated at around £200,000, but the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government stated that this would be illegal since elections are required to solely use public funds. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Farage denied accusations that the by-election was a "farce", calling it a "real election with real people". He expressed surprise at the other parties' decision not to field candidates, which he described as "showing contempt" towards the electorate.
The Guardian reported on 9 July that Reform UK called on party activists to shift their focus from the Greater Manchester mayoral by-election on 30 July to support Farage in Clacton. Reform UK responded to the report by stating: "Our campaign plans for the Greater Manchester mayor by-election remain unchanged." On 23 July, while Farage was campaigning in Clacton, a woman heckled Farage, shouting "wanker" as she drove past him, but while doing so crashed into the car in front of her while it was waiting at traffic lights. Farage later said: "That's what you might call instant karma!" in reference to the incident.
Count Binface Party
After the major parties declined to contest the election, the serial novelty candidate Count Binface became the main contender to Farage in early media coverage, with The Independent reporting that Binface had become the focus of an anti-Farage tactical voting campaign. Binface described himself as a "unity candidate". In an interview with BBC Radio 4, Binface conceded that he would "probably not" win the election, but said that his job was "to celebrate and defend the wonders of British democracy". He said his main appeal would be that he is not Farage.
Many mainstream politicians reacted to Binface's candidature with a mixture of amusement and approbation. Badenoch, the Leader of the Opposition, said that if the by-election was a "people versus the establishment" that "Farage might be looking like the establishment and Count Binface maybe the people". Keir Starmer, the prime minister, said he could not endorse Binface due to Labour Party rules. Andy Burnham, who became prime minister the following month, posted a picture of himself shaking hands with Binface at a by-election. He later said that Binface was "carrying the hopes of the nation".
Binface received a surge of support from activists after announcing his candidacy, raising more than £15,000 in donations in a day. He said he hoped to appeal to voters from all sides of the political spectrum and said he could even court the immigrant vote, given he was "the ultimate alien". The green-energy industrialist Dale Vince, who has previously donated to Labour and the Green Party, offered to fund Binface's campaign. Mr. C, former frontman of the psychedelic band the Shamen, re-recorded the band's 1992 number one single "Ebeneezer Goode" with lyrics about Binface, and filmed a music video. Media personality Carol Vorderman urged Clacton's voters to support Binface. Binface's campaign gained global media attention, and has inspired a flood of internet memes satirising the contest. At Starmer's final session of Prime Minister's Questions, on 15 July 2026, Badenoch, the leader of the opposition, asked Starmer whether he agreed that the country deserved a televised debate between Farage and Binface. Starmer replied that his advice to everyone was to "put [their] vote in the Bin", which was interpreted by The Daily Telegraph as an endorsement of Binface. It was noted that under Parliamentary rules, he would not have been permitted to wear his costume in the chamber.
In his manifesto published on 27 July, Binface announced 20 campaign pledges, including "MPs who resign mid-parliament to be barred from the resulting by-election", and "I will not accept £5 million gifts from crypto billionaires (on Earth)".
On the weekend before the vote, Binface supporters staged various campaign stunts. On the day before the vote, the Austin Powers vintage Union Jack Jaguar toured the town, and campaign slogans and manifesto pledges were projected onto one of the Martello towers on the beachfront, which were said to resemble bins.
Official Monster Raving Loony Party The satirical Official Monster Raving Loony Party fielded three candidates – party leader Howling Laud Hope, Nick the Incredible Flying Brick, and Baron Von Thunderclap. Binface ruled out a "Loony-Bin pact" during an interview on the BBC's Newsnight, saying that the Loonies and Farage were competing for the novelty vote. In response to Binface, one of the policies in their "manicfesto" was to "ban intergalatic [sic] interference in UK elections".
Other candidates