Clacton voters in Essex are set to vote in a by-election on Thursday, August 13, with the seat expected to be fought primarily between Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and a political satirist known as Count Binface.
The contest is one of the most unusual in recent British politics after major parties declined to stand, leaving a crowded ballot dominated by independents, fringe candidates and satirical entrants alongside Farage and Count Binface.
When voters go to the polls
Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm local time, with results due on Friday morning in Australian Eastern Standard Time terms. The winner will return as MP for the Clacton constituency, which covers Clacton-on-Sea, Frinton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the-Naze.
A total of 34 candidates are listed, extending to about 90 centimetres of ballot paper, according to figures cited with the poll.
What triggered the by-election
Farage resigned as MP for Clacton on July 7, triggering the by-election.
His departure followed a parliamentary investigation into his finances, including an undeclared gift worth £5 million from a cryptocurrency billionaire. Under House of Commons rules, the probe has been paused during the by-election campaign, but is due to resume automatically if Farage is re-elected.
Farage has denied wrongdoing and said he was seeking a fresh mandate. In making the case for voters to decide whether they still support him, he has framed the election as a contest between voters and the political establishment.
However, Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens have all opted not to field candidates, describing the by-election as a “political stunt”. As a result, the ballot includes a range of non-mainstream figures.
Who is standing in the race
Farage is the only candidate representing a major party, standing for Reform UK. He won the seat in 2024 with 46% of the vote. A Survation poll for Mandate Research suggested that a majority of Reform voters in the constituency plan to back him again, despite the controversy surrounding his finances.
Count Binface, who is running under the Count Binface Party banner, is the best-known challenger. The comedian Jonathan David Harvey is legally standing under the Count Binface name and, according to his published platform, is promising measures including capping bus fares at £1.99, selling 99p Flake ice creams, regenerating Walton Pier, and building “at least one” affordable home.
The manifesto also includes proposals for oil and gas firms to help fund solar panels, a referendum on whether Pluto should regain planet status, and a pledge to bar MPs who resign mid-term from contesting the resulting by-election. It also states: “I will not accept 5 million-pound gifts from crypto billionaires (on Earth).”
Three candidates are standing for the Official Monster Raving Loony Party. (Supplied: Official Monster Raving Loony Party)
Alongside them are 32 other candidates, including three from the Official Monster Raving Loony Party: Howling Laud Hope, Baron Von Thunderclap and Nick the Incredible Flying Brick. Their policies include replacing “all red tape with Sellotape”, giving voters the chance to be prime minister for 15 minutes during their lifetime, and banning by-elections created purely for political self-interest. Laurence Fox, a former actor and right-wing Reclaim Party leader, is also on the ballot, along with independents Attieh Fard, Andy Erlam and Nick Pelas, and Daniel Pocock.
Pocock, described on his website as a Melbourne-born software engineer, said he moved to Europe and previously worked for firms including Barclays Capital, Thomson Reuters and UBS. In explaining his candidacy, he framed the race as an opportunity for “novelty candidates”.
How tight is the contest
While the field is large, the election has been widely viewed as a head-to-head between Farage and Count Binface. In a Survation poll of 502 Clacton adults, Farage was on 73%, with Count Binface on 20%.
Count Binface has lost every election he has contested, and his highest vote total to date is 308. Farage, asked by the ABC whether he was confident he could beat him, said he “hoped so”.
If Count Binface were to win, he would become MP for Clacton, as there is no exemption for novelty candidates under the UK’s electoral system. Parliamentary dress guidance expects business-like attire and, in principle, faces should not be covered when members speak or vote, meaning he would likely need to take his seat under his legal name, Jonathan Harvey.
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13 August 2026
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