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Nigel Farage, the leader of the right-wing Reform UK party, is set to face a “record” number of opponents in a by-election for the coastal constituency of Clacton in August.
A total of 34 candidates will contest the seat, thought to be the highest number recorded in any UK parliamentary election, according to Tendring District Council, the local authority administering the vote.
The previous record for a by-election is believed to have been set in 2008, when 26 candidates contested the Haltemprice and Howden seat after Conservative MP David Davis stepped down, also to seek re-election.
Farage won Clacton in the UK general election in 2024, but he resigned as an MP earlier this month amid mounting media scrutiny and a parliamentary investigation over an undeclared gift of £5 million (€5.88 million).
Announcing his resignation, Farage, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, said he had “decided that the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions,” calling it “a chance to stick two fingers up to the entire establishment”.
The country’s mainstream parties are not taking part in next month’s by-election, after Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, and the Green Party all declined to field candidates, dismissing Farage’s move as a stunt.
The Labour Party accused Farage of “desperately trying to change the subject,” while the leader of the Conservatives, Kemi Badenoch, accused him of “running away from scrutiny”.
The cost of this by-election to the taxpayer could be more than £275,000 (€323,345), according to an estimate reported by The Independent.
Reform UK has offered to cover the cost of holding the vote, however, the UK’s Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said that would be illegal, as election costs must be met from public funds “to maintain the independence and impartiality of the electoral process”.
Of the candidates taking part, 20 are independent, meaning they don’t belong to a political party. Many others are novelty candidates, including three members of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party.
Perhaps the most well-known is Count Binface, who wears a bin-shaped helmet and a black cape.
Other rivals include the actor and right-wing political activist, Laurence Fox, who is standing for The Reclaim Party, of which he is the founded and is leader.
Find the full list of candidates for the 2026 Clacton by-election here.
At the 2024 general election, Farage and the Reform UK party won the constituency with a vote share of 46.2%.
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