Nigel Farage should now “answer serious outstanding questions about why he hid his £5m from the public,” the Tories said this morning.

A Conservative party spokesperson said:

This byelection was a farce started by Nigel Farage to try and dodge scrutiny of his fishy £5m personal donation.

Without any serious opponent in this pointless byelection, Farage has barely increased his overall vote total, secured fewer votes than the Conservative Giles Watling did in 2019, and had to invent absurd reasons to avoid being humiliated at his own vote count.

All Farage can brag about this morning is beating a bloke with a bin on his head. What he should do is answer the serious outstanding questions about why he hid his £5m from the public.

Lee Anderson said Reform UK will “of course” cooperate with a parliamentary investigation into a £5m gift received by Nigel Farage.

The Reform MP said that “as far as I’m concerned, and Reform UK are concerned, that the slate is wiped clean now in Clacton”.

Asked whether they would cooperate with a probe by parliament’s standards watchdog, which is expected to resume as Farage returns to the Commons, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Of course we will. We’ll always cooperate with any procedure within parliament. That’s what we do.

“It’s not always a two-way thing in parliament. We’ve tried many, many times in parliament to be part of the democratic system. We’ve tried to get on select committees … the powers that be won’t allow us to do that.

“So you know, I know we’re only a small party, but we are a massive part of democracy in this country. We won’t shut up from the backbenches. We’ll carry on defending the rights of people in this country.”

John Curtice added that “the electoral world has changed in important ways since Nigel Farage precipitated the byelection”.

The professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde said:

In the immediate wake of the decision to call this byelection back on 7 July, support for Reform did noticeably fall in the national polls, from around just under 27% to about 24%, which is where it still is this morning.

Curtice told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme:

The political world, the electoral world, has changed in important ways since Nigel Farage precipitated the byelection.

Primarily, of course, because of the replacement of Keir Starmer by Andy Burnham. Labour have enjoyed a so-called Burnham bounce.

“Labour are currently narrowly ahead of Reform in the polls and, meanwhile, the Conservatives now find themselves four points adrift.

He said that Farage faces “quite a substantial political challenge” in trying to get Reform support back up so that it is “back in the lead in the polls, and that there is still clear blue water between Reform and the Conservatives”.

John Curtice said voters turned out in “numbers that are quite healthy by the standards of modern byelections” in Clacton.

The professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde said Nigel Farage did not do as well as David Davis, who won 72% of the vote in 2008, “in the one byelection that is most similar to this one”.

Curtice told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme:

The argument that was being used by Farage’s opponents is this was a stunt; it was a farce, as exemplified by the fact that Count Binface was seemingly his own serious candidate.

Reform will now be able to point out not only as a result of the high turnout, the number of votes that they’ve got, but that also that evidently at 44%, the turnout is 10 points above what happened in David Davis’s byelection.

It’s not much below what it was in either Runcorn or Gorton and Denton in the byelections there, and it was actually higher than the two parliamentary byelections in Scotland recently.

Therefore, I think they will be able to argue that, for the voters at least, it is not obvious that they regarded this as a stunt or a farce.

They did turn out in numbers that are quite healthy by the standards of modern byelections.

It’s “vital” that the parliamentary standards investigation into Nigel Farage’s £5m gift “resumes at pace”, says campaign group Best for Britain.

Commenting on Farage’s re-election in Clacton, Naomi Smith, chief executive of the group which campaigns to keep the radical right out of power, said:

Farage’s re-election is ultimately a net loss for the people of Clacton who are left with an MP who doesn’t care about their interests and holds a fundamental contempt for political transparency – while facing multiple financial sleaze allegations and inquiries.

It’s vital the parliamentary standards investigation into the £5m gift he accepted from a crypto billionaire now resumes at pace. No one must be beyond scrutiny, least of all those elected to serve the public, and voters rightly do not accept that an MP can escape consequences for behaviour which could see most UK workers hauled over the coals.

Bridget Phillipson said there was “no hiding place now” for Nigel Farage after the Clacton byelection concluded and he must “answer to the public”.

The Labour chair told Sky News:

Nigel Farage can set out to the public exactly what’s been going on in recent weeks and months, all of the sleaze and the scandal that Reform has been engulfed in, whether it’s the £5m dodgy gift or his connections to a convicted fraudster, these are just piling up.

There’s no hiding place now and Nigel Farage needs to answer to the public as to exactly what’s going on. And this distraction byelection, that’s out of the way now, so we can get on with it.

She added that police were “used to dealing with high-profile situations” but it was “hard to know” what had happened that meant Farage did not attend the count.

Asked about Reform UK’s contested claim that police had advised him not to go, she told Sky News:

Well, of course, the safety of politicians is of the utmost importance and no one should face threats or intimidation because of who they are and the job that they’re seeking to do.

I don’t know exactly what’s gone on here, but like you, I’ve heard what the police have had to say, that they’ve pushed back a bit on that suggestion, and I know that Nigel Farage is facing some criticism, even from within his own ranks, that he’s not, wasn’t, prepared to be at the count.

And, you know, those who are responsible for running counts and the police oversight of that, they’re used to dealing with high-profile situations. But, you know, I think people will come to their own conclusions.

It’s hard to know. Nigel Farage has given one version of events and we’ve heard something a bit different from the police responsible.

Lee Anderson said he had not spoken to Nigel Farage about the claim he had been advised not to attend the Clacton byelection count.

Asked about the claim that Essex police had advised him not to attend, which the Press Association understands is not the case, the Reform UK MP said “sometimes some of these police forces that we’ve been dealing with recently are about as honest as you lot at the BBC”.

He told BBC Breakfast:

I’ve not spoken to Nigel about this. I’ve not spoken to Essex police.

If Nigel gets up on stage and says that he’s been advised not to attend the event, then I believe Nigel above the police, and especially above you lot at the BBC.

Richard Tice said Nigel Farage’s “team” judged there was “sufficient anxiety, concern and threats” amid the Clacton byelection.

Reform UK said overnight that police had told him not to attend the count due to a “credible threat” against him, which the Press Association understands is not the case.

Asked about the claim on GB News, deputy leader Tice said:

Well, as you can imagine, given everything that’s gone on in recent days and weeks, security is very paramount to all of us at Reform.

Ultimately, it was judged by Nigel’s team that there was sufficient anxiety, and concern, and threats, that meant that while of course he would love to have been at the count, ultimately his security counts for more than anything else, and I don’t think anybody, frankly, should in any way question his … team’s judgment on that.

Asked whether he could say anything more about information the party claims to have received that meant Farage did not want to be on stage, he said:

No, I can’t. But I think we should just trust those tasked with keeping Nigel safe and alive, I hesitate to say, but that’s what the task is.

And if a credible threat is perceived or a deep anxiety, whatever you want to term it, clearly they’re going to err on the side of caution, and that’s just the reality.

So, yes, of course, it’s a shame he would have loved to have been there, but security is paramount, and everybody knows we’ve had a very, very difficult few weeks and last couple of months.

Labour said the Clacton byelection was “no victory for Nigel Farage” and “shows he likely has so much to hide”.

Party chair Bridget Phillipson said:

Let’s be clear: this is no victory for Nigel Farage. The mountain of sleaze and scandal he and Reform are now engulfed in has grown and grown while he’s been trying to distract the public by fighting a byelection against a bin.

This morning, Nigel Farage shouldn’t be celebrating – he should wake up and smell the coffee. He must come clean with the public and put all the facts on the table over his secret £5m gift, his relationship with a convicted fraudster, and the other scandals his party is drowning in.

Farage’s distraction byelection doesn’t clear his name – it just shows he likely has so much more to hide.

Nigel Farage said his win in the Clacton byelection “speaks for itself”.

In a one-line post on X, featuring a photograph of him taken at the overnight ‘Farage-Fest’ in his constituency, the Reform UK leader said:

The result in Clacton speaks for itself.

With Count Binface securing more than one in four votes, I’m not sure that’s the zinger Farage thinks it is …

The Liberal Democrats said Nigel Farage had come away from the Clacton byelection “looking daft”.

The party’s Cabinet Office spokesperson Lisa Smart said:

Like most people who win a fight against a bin, Farage has come away looking daft and smelling of yesterday’s chip paper.

Now that he’s heading back to Westminster, the investigation into his shady financial affairs and £5m ‘gift’ must crack on. Reform claims to fight for the people, but they answer to crypto-billionaires.

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.

A sitting MP under investigation should never be able to weaponise a byelection into a taxpayer-funded attempt to escape scrutiny.

At 22,239 votes, Farage received 63.34% of the byelection vote. The 9,455 ballots for parody candidate Count Binface – his nearest competitor – was 26.93%.

There was little applause when Nigel Farage was announced the victor of the Clacton byelecion, with his supporters nowhere to be seen or heard in the counting hall.

The result came after a gruelling count where tellers had to grapple with incredibly long ballot papers past sunrise to tally tens of thousands of votes.

Aside from Farage, who snubbed the count, the remaining 33 candidates lined up – nearly filling the width of the room – when the results were finally announced.

The announcement of Count Binface’s 9,000-plus votes was greeted to moderate cheers and claps in the hall, though the mood remained resolutely low-energy.

The largest cheers were directed towards the Monster Raving Looning party, whose candidates double-digit vote counts were greeted with enthusiastic celebrations.

Count Binface faced a media scrum as he tried to leave the count and left out the back door.

Nigel Farage isn’t at the counting centre to give a traditional victory speech – he said earlier in the morning that he would not attend the count, claiming Essex police had advised him about a plot to embarrass him on stage during the result announcement.

Nigel Farage has received 22,239 votes, the officer says, while Count Binface got 9,455.

The reading through the final tally for all 34 candidates is continuing.

The byelection’s acting returning officer is announcing the vote result in what he calls a “unique election” with a “unique ballot paper”.

The poll candidates look to have lined up as an announcement is getting under way at the vote counting centre.

This election is a novelty with a record 34 candidates, including Howling Laud Hope of The Official Monster Raving Loony Party and Marcus White from the Everyone is God Party.

They have pounded the streets of Clacton over the past few weeks as they seek to win the support of about 80,000 voters.

Given the numbers who stood, Clacton residents were presented with a ballot paper about a metre (three feet) long.

Turnout was widely expected to be low as it often is in special elections. In the July 2024 general election, Farage faced eight rivals and garnered 21,225 votes, or 46.2% of the total. Turnout was 58.7%.

This election took place during the summer holidays with thousands of voters away from Clacton. It also took place during another UK heatwave, which could have seen many opt against making the trip to the polling station.

There’s been a call over loudspeaker for “candidates and agents” at the Clacton leisure centre in Essex and we could be nearing result time.

Count Binface looks to be among a group of people – some with costume hats – that have gathered in a corner of the room.

Nigel Farage’s byelection and the subsequent candidacy of Count Binface has transcended the usual news cycle of UK politics and made headlines around the world.

Binface recently went viral after an interview with a US journalist in which he was asked to put an answer into terms an American audience would be able to understand.

His quick-witted response is well worth a watch here.

The intergalactic space warrior, leader of the Recyclons from Sigma IX and part-time politician on Earth – played by comedian Jon Harvey – has also seen his campaign covered in recent days by Time magazine, the Washington Post and France 24.

And my colleague Daniel Boffey wrote a lengthy profile piece on Binface here, having spoken to those who know him:

It’s fair to say, despite his slim chances of causing an upset, the bin has captured the public imagination.

And, while Farage led polls in Clacton, a wider poll of the British electorate found Binface to be more popular in a head-to-head run-off against the Reform UK leader.

Perhaps something for the man who wants to become the prime minsiter to mull over when the giddy haze of his expected bylection victory subsides?

Nigel Farage earlier declared a “resounding victory” in the byelection although votes were still being counted and no official result had been declared.

“The verdict is in and it is a convincing and overwhelming win,” he claimed to supporters at the Reform UK event in Essex broadcast on social media.

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.

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.