Farage says he will not attend vote count amid ‘plot to embarrass him’
Nigel Farage has said he will not attend the Clacton byelection count after advice from Essex police about a plot to embarrass him on stage during the announcement of the result.
The Reform UK leader pre-empted the official announcement of the result of the byelection by telling supporters he had secured more votes than when he won the seat at the 2024 general election.
Farage called the result a “convincing, overwhelming win” that would surpass the 21,225 votes he received just two years ago, PA Media is reporting.
However, speaking at a “Farage Fest” event in Essex organised by Reform UK, he said he would not attend the traditional declaration of the results after being given notice of an “organised campaign” to “disrupt and degrade the result”.
Acting returning officer Ian Davidson said it was Farage’s decision “whether or not to attend the count”.
Key events
Here are some of the scenes at the Clacton Leisure Centre in Essex as the byelection with a record 34 candidates – and a near metre-long ballot paper – draws out the counting process.
‘Robust policing operation’ in place at vote count, says official
The acting returning officer for the Clacton byelection, Ian Davidson, said he would not comment on security matters but that there was a “robust policing operation” in place.
Davidson, the chief executive of Tendring district council, told the count after Farage’s speech in Essex: “We work very closely with Essex police and have done so throughout this process, and continue to do so tonight, and we will be continuing the count, as we always do, in a safe and secure manner.”
In a later statement also cited by PA Media, Davidson said:
We have worked closely with Essex police colleagues to ensure the election process is completed safely and securely, as is evident from the level of security we have in place here today.
This includes a robust policing operation throughout the day and including at the count.
It is a candidate’s decision whether or not to attend the count.
However I want to reassure people we have no reason not to proceed with the count process at this time.
More comments here from Nigel Farage saying he will not attend the byelection result after being told by Essex police of an “organised campaign” to disrupt it.
“Once again it shows you the sheer intolerance, the sheer loss of fundamental democratic principles that those that went before us, fought in world wars, to fight for and preserve,” he said at a Farage Fest event in Essex, quoted by PA. He added:
I’m not scared of these people, far from it. But I’m damned if I’m going to stand on a stage, having won a resounding victory, a ringing endorsement of all that I’ve tried to fight for, and you’ve tried to fight for, and be demeaned and humiliated by nobodies, and I will not sadly be attending the count.
Farage says he will not attend vote count amid ‘plot to embarrass him’
Nigel Farage has said he will not attend the Clacton byelection count after advice from Essex police about a plot to embarrass him on stage during the announcement of the result.
The Reform UK leader pre-empted the official announcement of the result of the byelection by telling supporters he had secured more votes than when he won the seat at the 2024 general election.
Farage called the result a “convincing, overwhelming win” that would surpass the 21,225 votes he received just two years ago, PA Media is reporting.
However, speaking at a “Farage Fest” event in Essex organised by Reform UK, he said he would not attend the traditional declaration of the results after being given notice of an “organised campaign” to “disrupt and degrade the result”.
Acting returning officer Ian Davidson said it was Farage’s decision “whether or not to attend the count”.
Opening: Farage expected to win ‘desperate stunt’ byelection with results due in coming hours
Hello and welcome to this special UK politics live blog, where we will be bringing you the result from Nigel Farage’s latest vanity parade. Sorry, I mean the 2026 Clacton byelection.
Thousands of residents in the Essex seat voted on Thursday in a ballot featuring Nigel Farage and a range of novelty and fringe candidates led by Count Binface, after all the main political parties (and Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain) decided against fielding candidates.
Farage resigned as the MP for Clacton at the start of July and forced a byelection in what he claimed was an attempt to address complaints over a deepening scandal about gifts he received.
However, leaders from across the political spectrum branded the Reform UK leader’s scheme a “desperate stunt” to avoid scrutiny.
Should he win the byelection – and polling suggested he was on course to see off main rival Count Binface – Farage is expected to face a formal investigation by the parliamentary standards watchdog, which was opened in May after the Guardian revealed he had received a £5m personal gift from Christopher Harborne, a Thailand-based crypto billionaire, in April 2024.
Farage has denied the gift amounted to an inducement to run for office, insisting it was personal in nature. He has given a series of explanations for the gift, including that it was for his security and a reward for Brexit.
If parliament imposes sanctions for failing to declare the gifts, he may be removed from the House of Commons and face a second byelection.
But that is a discussion for another day – or, possibly, later this morning. As it is, stay with us and we will bring you the results (expected any time between 5am and 8am), as well as all the usual news and reaction as the day unfolds.
