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Farage enters Clacton by-election after major party boycotts

8/13/2026

27 3 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Nigel Farage is contesting the Clacton by-election on Thursday, August 13, 2026, after resigning on July 7.
Jonathan David Harvey, standing as Count Binface, promises cheap bus fares, 99-pence ice-cream and a Pluto referendum.
Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens have boycotted the race, calling it a political stunt.
The ballot will list a record 34 candidates, the longest in British electoral history.

History

Historical Context

The 1997 Winchester by-election, forced after a court voided the May result, saw Liberal Democrat Mark Oaten win with a 21,556-vote majority and spurred the Registration of Political Parties Act 1998 to curb confusing ballot labels. That reform underpins today’s Electoral Commission review of the 2026 Clacton by-election, where a large number of candidates has prompted calls to tighten ballot regulations.

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Story summary

Nigel Farage is contesting the Clacton by-election on Thursday, August 13, 2026, after resigning on July 7.
Jonathan David Harvey, standing as Count Binface, promises cheap bus fares, 99-pence ice-cream and a Pluto referendum.
Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens have boycotted the race, calling it a political stunt.
The ballot will list a record 34 candidates, the longest in British electoral history.

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