2026 Clacton by-election
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Clacton constituency
MP before election

Nigel Farage
Reform

 Elected MP

TBD

A by-election for the United Kingdom parliamentary constituency of Clacton is due to be held on 13 August 2026,[1] following the resignation of Nigel Farage, its member of Parliament (MP). 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 in order to trigger a by-election and re-contest the constituency; his resignation was accepted the next day.[2]

The announcement came amid parliamentary scrutiny of Farage's personal finances and allegations concerning undeclared gifts and support.[3] The Labour Party, the Conservative Party, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and Restore Britain have said they will not contest the by-election.[4][5]

The writ to officially trigger the by-election was moved on 9 July 2026.[6]

Background

Clacton

Clacton is a coastal constituency in Essex, in the East of England. It is centred on Clacton-on-Sea and also includes 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% belong to social grades A, B, and C1. The average 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 referendum, an estimated 75% of those who voted chose to leave the European Union.[7]

The constituency is known for being a target seat for right-wing populist parties.[8] At the 2014 Clacton by-election, former Conservative MP Douglas Carswell resigned after defecting to the UK Independence Party (UKIP), then re-contested and won the seat for UKIP (which at the time was also led by Farage). The result made Carswell UKIP's first elected MP in the House of Commons.[9]

Investigation into Farage

See also: Reform UK donations scandal

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.[10][11][12]

Specifically, the investigations involved:

  • a payment of £5 million from Christopher Harborne,[10]
  • possible gifts in kind from George Cottrell,[13]
  • allegations of lobbying the Bank of England regarding cryptocurrency,[14]
  • declaration of several properties.[14]

If the investigations resulted in Farage being suspended from parliament for more than 10 sitting days or 14 calendar days, it opened up the possibility of a recall petition forcing a by-election at a time not of Farage's own choosing.[15]

This by-election will not necessarily halt a Parliamentary Standards Committee investigation into Farage's conduct, or a possible future suspension and subsequent recall petition and possible further by-election under the terms of the Recall of MPs Act 2015.[16] If Farage were to win the election, the parliamentary investigation would then re-start, with the possibility of suspension, re-call and another by-election.[17]

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.[18][19] Other donations to Reform UK and other party leaders have also been flagged under the scheme.[20]

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.[2][3]

On 8 July, Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, accepted his resignation by appointing him to the office of profit post of Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead in order to vacate his seat (as outright resignation is not possible).[21] While objecting to his motives for resigning, she stated, "if he wants to spend the summer arguing with a bin, I won't stop him".[22][23] Reform UK announced the likely date of the by-election to be 6 August.[24]

In the twenty-first century, there have been four instances where an incumbent MP has resigned and immediately stood for re-election: David Davis at the 2008 Haltemprice and Howden by-election,[25] Douglas Carswell at the 2014 Clacton by-election,[26] Mark Reckless at the 2014 Rochester and Strood by-election,[27] and Zac Goldsmith at the 2016 Richmond Park by-election.[28] Goldsmith was the only MP of the four who failed to win the subsequent election.

Candidates

Parties declining to stand

The Labour Party, the Conservative Party, the Green Party, the Liberal Democrats and Restore Britain have all confirmed that they will not contest the by-election.[29] A Labour spokesperson called the situation "pathetic",[30] while Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe said his party would not participate in "a Reform-sponsored media circus".[31] Green Party deputy leader Mothin Ali initially said (on 7 July) that the Greens stand in "every election",[32] 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".[3]

The Conservatives were reported to be targeting the seat in the next general election, but the party's leader, Kemi Badenoch, said that they would not stand in "Farage's fake by-election".[31] However, both the Conservatives and Restore Britain said they would stand in any subsequent by-election in Clacton.[30]

Named

  • Adham Alkhatip announced that he would stand for the Forward Party.[33]
  • Count Binface, a novelty and perennial candidate portrayed by a comedian, announced his intention to stand.
  • Conspiracy theorist Piers Corbyn, the brother of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn MP, announced he would stand as an independent.[34] Corbyn was most recently a member of his brother's party, Your Party.[35]
  • Nigel Farage announced in his resignation speech that he would stand again for Reform UK in the by-election.[2]
  • Reclaim Party leader Laurence Fox announced via X (formerly Twitter) that he would stand, seeking to "elevate the Fight on the Right", according to The Independent.[36]
  • Ollie Granger, a television professional, has announced that he was seeking to stand as an independent candidate.[37]
  • Rob Pownall, an anti-fox hunting campaigner who previously stood in the 2026 Makerfield by-election while dressed as a fox, said that he would put his name forward.[38]
  • Kai Stephens was selected for the British Democratic Party to contest the seat.[39]
  • Luke Worley, a former contestant on Married at First Sight and who grew up in Clacton, announced he would stand as an independent.[40][41]

Unnamed

  • The Monster Raving Loony Party, a satirical party, announced their intention to field a candidate.[36]
  • Rejoin EU, a pro-reaccessionist party, announced they were looking for a candidate to stand.[36]

Withdrew

  • Amelia Randall, a clairvoyant and an independent member of Kent County Council, formerly a member of Reform UK, initially declared her intention to stand for the Balanced Britain Party.[40] She withdrew a day later to not "split the independent vote".[42]


Campaign

Reform UK

Nigel Farage

Farage denied wrongdoing and described the contest as a "people versus the establishment" by-election.[3] Reform offered to pay for the costs of the by-election, estimated at around £200,000.[43] 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.[44]

On 9 July, Reform UK urged its party activists to shift their focus from the upcoming Greater Manchester mayoral by-election on 30 July to support Farage in Clacton.[45]

Count Binface

Count Binface

After the major parties declined to contest the election, Count Binface, a novelty and perennial candidate, became the main contender to Farage in early media coverage, with The Independent reporting that Binface had become the recipient of an anti-Farage tactical voting campaign.[46] Binface described himself as a "unity candidate".[47] 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".[48] He said his main appeal would be that he is not Nigel Farage.[49]

Many mainstream politicians reacted to Binface's candidature with a mixture of amusement and approbation.[50][51] Kemi Badenoch, the Leader of the Opposition, said that if the by-election was a "people versus the establishment" contest, Binface might be the people's candidate.[52] Keir Starmer, the prime minister, said he could not endorse him due to Labour Party rules.[53] Andy Burnham, the favourite in the race to become the next Labour leader, posted a picture of himself shaking hands with Binface at a by-election.[54] He later said that Binface "[is] carrying the hopes of the nation".[55] The New Statesman's business editor, Will Dunn, endorsed Binface and called for a united front in support of his candidacy.[56] Martin Bell, who served as the independent MP for Tatton between 1997 and 2001, called for voters in Clacton to rally behind "the right independent candidate".[57] Stephen Pollard, writing for The Spectator, called the election a straight "two-way fight" between Farage and Binface, and speculated that the latter could win.[58]

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".[53] Green energy industrialist Dale Vince, who has previously donated to the Labour and Green Parties, offered to fund Binface's campaign.[59] His campaign gained global media attention.[60][61]

Reclaim Party

On 7 July Laurence Fox, the leader of the Reclaim Party, announced he would be standing. Fox stated that he would "provide a voice on the 'right'" while also decrying the major parties for not standing a candidate against Farage saying "This is meant to be a democracy."[62][63]

Timetable

Tendring District Council confirmed the timetable for the by-election on 10 July 2026:[1]

  • 13 July – Publication of the notice of election
  • 14 July – Opening of candidate nominations
  • 17 July – Closing of candidate nominations and publication of candidate list
  • 28 July – Deadline to register to vote in time for the by-election
  • 29 July – Deadline to apply for a postal vote
  • 5 August – Deadline to apply for a proxy vote
  • 13 August – Polling day

Previous result

This section is transcluded from Clacton (constituency). (edit | history)
General election 2024: Clacton[64]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Nigel Farage 21,225 46.2 N/A
Conservative Giles Watling 12,820 27.9 −44.0
Labour Jovan Owusu-Nepaul 7,448 16.2 +0.6
Liberal Democrats Matthew Bensilum 2,016 4.4 −1.8
Green Natasha Osben 1,935 4.2 +1.3
Independent Tony Mack[a] 317 0.7 N/A
UKIP Andrew Pemberton 116 0.3 N/A
Climate Craig Jamieson 48 0.1 N/A
Heritage Tasos Papanastasiou 33 0.1 N/A
Majority 8,405 18.3
Turnout 45,958 58.0
Reform gain from Conservative Swing +45.1

See also

  • 1986 Northern Ireland by-elections – similar by-elections where 15 of the 17 Northern Irish seats were vacated in protest of the Anglo-Irish Agreement and led to the re-election of all but one of the MPs.
  • Tatton in the 1997 General Election – Martin Bell won a seat in similar circumstances at the 1997 United Kingdom general election in the constituency of Tatton as an independent candidate after the major parties stood down to give him an unopposed run against sitting Conservative MP Neil Hamilton who was under investigation by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner.
  • 2008 Haltemprice and Howden by-election - in which David Davis stood down in order to recontest the seat to spark debate on civil liberties. Similarly to Clacton major parties stood aside either due to supporting the campaign or branding it a "political stunt"

Notes

  1. ^ Mack was originally announced as the Reform UK candidate, but was de-selected in favour of Nigel Farage, and subsequently ran as an independent.

References

  1. ^ a b "Date set for Clacton constituency by-election". www.tendringdc.gov.uk. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  2. ^ a b c "Britain's Farage Quits Parliament in Protest, But Will Stand for Re-Election". Reuters. 7 July 2026. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d Mason, Rowena; Quinn, Ben; Elgot, Jessica (7 July 2026). "Political rivals vow to boycott byelection after Farage quits as MP". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 July 2026. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
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  13. ^ Stacey, Kiran (5 July 2026). "Nigel Farage Did Not Declare Gifts from Crypto Entrepreneur Convicted of Fraud". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
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  27. ^ "Tory defector Mark Reckless hails by UKIP by-election win". BBC News. 10 October 2014. Archived from the original on 25 May 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  28. ^ Gill, Martha (25 October 2016). "Zac Goldsmith To Resign Over Heathrow". HuffPost.
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  30. ^ a b Badshah, Nadeem; Sparrow, Andrew (7 July 2026). "Labour, Tories and Lib Dems Refuse to Stand in Byelection with Farage's Resignation Labelled 'Desperate Stunt' – UK Politics Live". the Guardian. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
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  34. ^ Ramzan, Iram (9 July 2026). "Jeremy Corbyn's brother Piers to challenge Nigel Farage in Clacton by-election". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
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  37. ^ "New independent candidate could enter Clacton by-election race". Clacton and Frinton Gazette. 8 July 2026. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  38. ^ Penna, Dominic (9 July 2026). "Two foxes and a Loony join bin in fight against Farage". The Telegraph. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  39. ^ Grimmer, Dan (9 July 2026). "Norwich man stands against Farage and Binface in Clacton". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  40. ^ a b Sinclair, Andrew; Schofield, Ben (10 July 2026). "A bin, two foxes and a mystic: the candidates fighting Clacton". BBC News. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  41. ^ Benton-Smith, Matthew (8 July 2026). "Local reality TV icon announces he will challenge Farage in Clacton by-election". Thurrock Gazette. Archived from the original on 9 July 2026. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  42. ^ Bailes, Kathy (10 July 2026). "Birchington rural county councillor 'withdraws' from Clacton by-election race to 'avoid splitting independent vote'". The Isle of Thanet News. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  43. ^ Rigley, Stephen (7 July 2026). "Nigel Farage says Reform will pay £200,000 bill for Clacton by-election". LBC. Archived from the original on 7 July 2026. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  44. ^ Wootton-Cane, Nicole; Stavrou, Athena (9 July 2026). "Nigel Farage latest: Reform leader insists Count Binface showdown is 'real' after by-election ridiculed". The Independent. Archived from the original on 9 July 2026. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  45. ^ Halliday, Josh (9 July 2026). "Reform activists urged to switch focus from Manchester to Farage's Clacton contest". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  46. ^ Maddox, David (8 July 2026). "Betting odds slashed on Count Binface to beat Farage in Clacton by-election". The Independent. Archived from the original on 8 July 2026. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  47. ^ Young, Sarah (8 July 2026). "UK Farage's election gamble could see him face one challenger — Count Binface". Reuters. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
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  50. ^ Keating, Oonagh (8 July 2026). "It looks like the Clacton by-election will be Farage vs Binface, and the voting public has the chance to do the funniest thing – 24 enthusiastic popcorn grabs". The Poke. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  51. ^ Brown, Alexander; Cowburn, Ashley; Huskisson, Sophie; Tetzlaff-Deas, Benedict; Buchan, Lizzy (8 July 2026). "Nigel Farage live: Reform UK leader 'in real trouble' against Count Binface as Clacton by-election stunt flops". The Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 8 July 2026. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
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  63. ^ Penny, Brandon. "Actor Laurence Fox to stand in Clacton by-election". Clacton Gazette. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  64. ^ "Statement of Persons Nominated, Notice of Poll and Situation of Polling Stations" (PDF). Tendring District Council. Retrieved 9 June 2024.