Zürcher Nachrichten - Farage declares victory as count still underway in UK by-election

Farage made the claim while votes were still being counted in the eastern English constituency of Clacton and before any official result had been declared.

"The verdict is in and it is a convincing and overwhelming win," he said as supporters chanted his name at an event in Essex, which was broadcast on X.

Farage, who triggered the vote by resigning the parliamentary seat he had held since 2024 over an investigation into his finances, is up against Binface and dozens of other fringe candidates in the Clacton constituency of eastern Essex.

The vote has been shunned by Britain's main political parties, including the ruling Labour, as a stunt by the Reform UK leader -- once touted as a potential prime minister -- to dodge scrutiny of his dealings.

That has left candidates such as Binface -- the alter ego of comedian Jon Harvey -- to seize the spotlight.

"What an upside-down world it is, where Count Binface is now the candidate of the establishment," Farage said in his speech.

He said he would not attend the count, where candidates traditionally gather for the declaration of results, saying Essex Police had warned him that an "organised campaign to disrupt and degrade the result" was planned.

Acting Returning Officer Ian Davidson said election officials had worked with police to ensure the process was "completed safely and securely", adding there was "no reason not to proceed with the count process at this time".

Analysts expect a win for Farage, but forecast that the self-styled "intergalactic space warrior", who campaigns wearing a rubbish bin on his head, could secure an uncomfortably large share of the vote, possibly approaching 20 percent.

Binface told AFP at the count centre early Friday that it was his "humble duty" to be Farage's opposition, but said he would respect the results.

"If a majority of the voters of Clacton say they would like him to be returned as their MP, that is to be respected," he said.

Turnout reached about 44 percent, down from 59 percent in the 2024 general election.

In the coastal community, many voters appeared unenthusiastic about the poll, with even some Reform party volunteers describing the contest as a joke.

"It's a bit ridiculous," party campaigner Jane Embelton told AFP.

"It's all to make Nigel Farage look like an idiot, basically. But he doesn't look like an idiot to me or his supporters."

A record 33 fringe candidates, including Binface, stood in the vote, with some of the longest ballot papers in the country's history seen being unfolded at Clacton Leisure Centre, where the count is being held.

- 'We can't decide' -

Farage, whose party had topped national polls for 18 months before falling behind recently, surprised voters with his July 7 resignation amid the probe into his finances.

The investigation by the parliamentary sleaze watchdog is examining allegations he and Reform's deputy leader, Richard Tice, failed to declare financial gifts. They deny any wrongdoing.

Farage has framed Thursday's vote as "the people of Clacton versus the Establishment", aimed at thwarting the "stitch-up" over his finances.

"The people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions," he said in a video released before casting his vote.

Clacton voter Phil predicted the vote was "not going to change anything", noting if Farage won as expected, the parliamentary probe would restart.

Political pundits have downplayed the vote's wider significance in a constituency that overwhelmingly backed Brexit a decade ago.

"It will be astonishing if Farage were not to win," political scientist John Curtice told AFP.

But some assessed Farage's election gambit had backfired as his Reform party slips down national polls.

"Farage's plan to turn this by-election into a serious political battle failed," Queen Mary University of London politics professor Stijn van Kessel told AFP, noting the resulting spectacle "makes Farage look rather silly".

Farage netted 46 percent of the vote in the 2024 general election to become an MP on his eighth attempt.

- Police probe -

The probe into Farage, which paused when he resigned, relates to a five million pound ($6.7 million) donation from cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne.

UK media have reported that probe concerns undeclared financial support from longtime Farage ally and convicted fraudster George Cottrell and his mother.

The controversies have coincided with the drop in Reform polling support and in popularity for Farage, long a divisive figure loved and loathed in largely equal measure.

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