NIGEL Farage has declared victory in the Clacton by-election ahead of the official result – which he will not attend because of “credible threats”.
Although votes are still being counted, the Reform leader is overwhelmingly expected to beat his main rival Count Binface.
Nigel Farage speaking at a victory rally tonight
Mr Farage’s main rival candidate was Count Binface Credit: PA
He had triggered the by-election amid an ongoing row into his finances including a £5million gift he failed to declare.
Ahead of the official result this morning, Mr Farage claimed an “overwhelming victory” to his supporters that dwarfed his 2024 vote.
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He said: “In doing so, we have beaten the candidate for the uniparty: Count Binface.”
But he told activists he would not be attending the count at the town hall and alleged that agitators were planning to disrupt it.
He said: “I am damned if I am going to stand on a stage, having won a resounding victory, and be demeaned and humiliated by nobodies.
“I will not, sadly, be attending the count.”
A Reform spokesman added: “Essex Police advised Nigel not to attend the count tonight due to a credible threat against him.”
Yet the force appeared to dispute the claims, saying: “We have a proportionate and robust policing operation to ensure the safety and security of all participants in the count.”
Instead the Reform leader addressed cheering crowds of grassroots members at so-called “Farage Fest” in Clacton.
He had been facing a Commons ethics probe over his failure to declare a £5million donation from a crypto tycoon in the months before he became an MP.
Mr Farage had said he would “let the people of Clacton” be his judge rather than the “the Establishment in Westminster”.
The other main parties refused to take part and instead swung behind comedy candidate Count Binface.
Yesterday Clacton constituents chose from the largest pool of candidates in history, with the ballot paper stretching onto three pages.
Mr Farage was always the overwhelming favourite to retain the Essex seaside seat that is fertile electoral ground for Reform.
But upon his expected return as an MP today the Standards Commissioner is expected to resume the investigation into whether he broke the rules.
If found to have committed a serious breach, he could even face another by-election if a recall petition is triggered.
Warning the Standards Commissioner not to take such action, he told The Jattvibe this week: “If I get the result I want, if Standards decide that they want to do it again, well, I think they’d look rather silly.”
He has argued he did not need to declare the £5million as it was gifted to him before he became an MP when he had no intention of returning to frontline politics.
Mr Farage has said the cash was intended to pay for his extensive security protection given the level of threats against him.
Asked if he would still have taken the money from Christopher Harborne if he knew of the subsequent hassle, he said: “Oh yes. Ann Widdecombe was 78 years old.
“She was murdered. She had nothing apart from CCTV.”
Reform has suffered a dip in the opinion polls in recent weeks and been leapfrogged by Labour for the first time in around 15 months.
Mr Farage has insisted the “Burnham Bounce” will soon fizzle out and expects to reclaim his lead soon.
Nigel Farage has won victory in the Clacton by-election Credit: Getty
Clacton was the easy bit – Farage’s work has only just begun
By Jack Elsom, Political Editor
SPEAK to Nigel Farage and he will insist that this by-election campaign has been worth it.
Other parties dismissing it as a “gimmick” shows their contempt for the voters, he says.
And now finally the Reform leader thinks he has a bulletproof answer to all those questions about the £5million donation.
“You are not my judge: The people of Clacton are my judge, and they have just given me a stonking vote of confidence”.
Maybe there is something in that.
But Mr Farage should be alarmed that, while he has been busy at the Essex seaside, Andy Burnham has leapfrogged him in the polls.
Having led for 15 months, Reform has now suffered a slump at the hands of the new PM.
He is banking on this fizzling out in a matter of months, but there are still certainly some cracks starting to show in Reform.
Internal tensions are starting to break into the open, and holes are being picked in flagship policies.
The Standards Commissioner is also likely to resume his probe into the £5million donation.
Mr Farage is clearly a formidable campaigner and reader of the public mood.
But Clacton was the easy part. Now come the hard yards to convince swing voters.
