Nigel Farage won the Clacton byelection but was absent as results were announced. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
The Reform UK leader triggered the byelection in July in an attempt to shake off a deepening scandal over a £5m gift from cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne. A record 34 candidates vied for the coastal seat.
Farage held on to Clacton with 22,239 votes (63.34%). His nearest competitor, parody candidate Count Binface, won 9,455 votes (26.93%). Turnout was 44%.
Farage had been widely expected to win. A Survation poll on Monday put Farage on 75% and Binface on 20%. Farage declared himself the winner while votes were still being counted.
The victory will do little to stem questions around Farage's and Reform's financial affairs. A formal investigation by the parliamentary standards watchdog into the £5m gift is due to restart as soon as Friday.
Despite winning, Farage did not appear at the count for a victory lap, claiming Essex police had advised him of a plot to embarrass him when the result was declared. Instead, he snubbed Clacton Leisure Centre for Farage Fest, a carnival-like event on the rural fringes of the constituency.
At the count, there was heavy security, with bag checks and metal detectors at the entrance. Responding to Farage's claim of an "organised campaign" to disrupt the count, Tendring district council chief executive Ian Davidson said he would not comment on security matters but there was a "robust policing operation" in place.
Since the contest was called, questions have also been asked about Farage's links to convicted fraudster George Cottrell, and the Metropolitan police opened an investigation into donations to the party.
Farage called the byelection "the people versus the establishment". Every other main party boycotted it, calling it a "media circus" and a "vanity project". Instead, Count Binface, the self-declared "entirely independent space warrior" created by comedian Jon Harvey, emerged as Farage's strongest challenger.
The record number of candidates meant tellers had to grapple with the longest ballot paper in British electoral history.
After standing in multiple parliamentary elections since 1994, Farage was elected to the Commons as MP for Clacton in 2024. He won with a majority of 8,400, taking 46.2% of the vote. The Conservatives came second and Labour third.