Farage has turned Clacton into a human zoo. Here’s the truth about what’s happening here | Sarah Elizabeth Cox

The Guardian UK Wednesday 12 August 2026, 13:16 UTC By Sarah Elizabeth Cox 1 min read

Key Points

When I moved to the town in 2022 I loved the beach walks, cheap drinks and panoramic coastal views. Now it feels like a never-ending circusClacton town centre is bustling, the beaches are packed and the pier’s raking in cash. We can credit the weather, but no doubt press coverage and Count Binface’s promotional videos have got us on radars too.

When I moved to the town in 2022 I loved the beach walks, cheap drinks and panoramic coastal views. Now it feels like a never-ending circus

Clacton town centre is bustling, the beaches are packed and the pier’s raking in cash. We can credit the weather, but no doubt press coverage and Count Binface’s promotional videos have got us on radars too. The tourists look like they’re having a lovely time.

I moved to Clacton in 2022 and the first year was brilliant. It started with beach walks, cheap drinks and decorating a flat with panoramic sea views, and ended fat and happy from chips and ice-cream, a newborn baby in tow. Privileged with my health and stable income, albeit strained by a Truss-era mortgage, it was a place I loved, and was proud of.

Sarah Elizabeth Cox is a historian, and communications manager for a science charity

Farage (PERSON) Clacton (ORG) Sarah Elizabeth Cox (PERSON) Binface (ORG)

Originally published by The Guardian UK Read original →

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Farage has turned Clacton into a human zoo. Here’s the truth about what’s happening here | Sarah Elizabeth Cox

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