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Published 12:16 13 Aug 2026 BST
Updated 12:16 13 Aug 2026 BST

It’s finally arrived, the titanic political battle for the ages between Count Binface and Nigel Farage for the parliamentary seat of Clacton.
On Thursday, the polls opened in the Essex constituency, with the Count and Farage two of a record 34 candidates standing in the by-election.
The by-election was called after Farage resigned as an MP amid a parliamentary standards investigation into his failure to declare a £5m gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne just months before he was elected.
The polls suggest that Farage is all but certain to romp home with a sizeable majority – but Count Binface isn’t going down without a fight.
The intergalactic space warrior has been an embarrassing thorn in Farage’s side for the last few weeks, and on the morning of the by-election he is still hopeful of pulling off the biggest shock in British political history.
Speaking to HuffPost UK on Thursday, he said it had been an ‘honour’ to be part of the election and “fantastic getting to know the people and landmarks of this wonderful part of the cosmos.”
He continued: “I didn’t expect to be given the mantle of His Majesty’s Official Opposition, at least not yet, but here we are.
“And if Clacton wants a new local champion who will make their voices heard like never before, increase tourism and save the cost of another by-election, Vote Binface.
“You can always vote for a ‘normal’ party next time. This is a free hit. Send a message they’ll never forget. Bin it to win it!”
Whilst Farage is all but certain to win in Clacton, polling from recent days shows a much more worrying trend for the Reform leader and his party.
Whether it’s Reform slumping behind Labour in the polls or more people saying they would vote for Count Binface over Farage in a head-to-head vote, Brits are starting to have enough of Reform and their antics.
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