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Farage Wins Pointless By-Election but Will Not Escape the Investigation Into His Finances

The Reform leader resigned, halted a parliamentary investigation, fought Count Binface and won his seat back, but the investigation into gifts he received will now restart.

Shehab Khan's avatar
Shehab Khan
Aug 14, 2026
∙ Paid

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Count Binface waits with other candidates for the result – Farage refused to attend the declaration (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Oh dear Clacton – what have you done?

You could have handed us the greatest political result in a generation: sending a 5,900-year-old intergalactic space warrior from the planet Sigma IX, with a bin on his head, to Parliament – and potentially dealing Reform UK a devastating blow in the process. Instead, you have gone and backed Nigel Farage again in what is one of the most pointless by-elections in years.

Farage re-won his seat with a resounding majority, getting around 1,000 more votes than he achieved in 2024. Farage got 22,239 votes, with Count Binface coming in second with 9,455. But while Farage will celebrate today, a recent poll showed the result was not what the country was hoping for: 33% of the public had said they wanted Count Binface to win the race while only 21% went for Farage.

For one glorious moment, Britain had spoken. All Count Binface needed was for Clacton to agree.

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