Farage Defeats Binface in UK Special Election

"I came first in the Clacton by-election! Of candidates who bothered to turn up for the results," Count Binface said on X after finishing behind Reform UK leader Nigel Farage in a special election other major parties dismissed as a farce and a distraction from Farage's ethics issues. Farage re-won his seat in a by-election he triggered himself, after resigning amid a probe into whether he failed to declare a $6.7 million gift from Thailand-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, the New York Times reports.

• With the main parties boycotting the election, Farage received 22,239 votes, around 63%, while Binface received 9,455 votes, or 27%. None of the 32 other candidates on the ballot, including Nick the Incredible Brick from the Monster Raving Loony Party, received more than 500 votes. Turnout hit 44%, slightly higher than expected.

Farage, breaking with tradition, did not attend the official announcement of the vote count. He claimed police had told him there would be an "organized campaign to disrupt and degrade the result," though Essex Police said they had not advised any candidate not to attend, the BBC reports. He declared victory at a Reform event hours before the official announcement, saying he was refusing to stand on a stage at the official event and be "demeaned and humiliated by nobodies."

• Binface, an "independent space warrior" with a trash can helmet, played by comedian Jon Harvey, has run in multiple elections against candidates including several prime ministers, but this is the first time he has received more than 1% of the vote. "Over one in four people in this constituency would rather have Count Binface as their MP than the leader of Reform UK," he said in his "victory speech," per the Guardian. "And I'm just getting started."

Farage skipped the traditional declaration, instead announcing victory hours earlier at a Reform event, saying he refused to be "demeaned and humiliated by nobodies." With Farage returning to Parliament, the investigation of the Harborne money and separate undeclared benefits allegedly provided by an aide will continue.

• "Like most people who win a fight against a bin, Farage has come away looking daft and smelling of yesterday's chip paper," said Lisa Smart, a spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats party. "Triggering a vanity byelection was a blatant attempt to dodge being held to account. The Liberal Democrats have proposed a 'Clacton clause' to a bill going through Parliament that would stop a stunt like this being pulled ever again."