The weirdest by-election in recent UK history marked a return to the status quo

analysis Clacton's by-election was the weirdest in recent UK history. But it marked a return to the status quo It was a bizarre by-election from the start. Despite a major-party boycott, voters faced the longest ballot paper in British electoral history, with a record number of candidates — including a comedian dressed as a bin and an Australian running to "reclaim woke". Reform UK leader Nigel Farage easily won back the seat of Clacton after resigning and immediately recontesting it in July in protest over a parliamentary probe into undeclared donations. The result was never really in doubt, but the finale was anything but predictable. Mr Farage declared victory hours before the official result, then skipped the count. Reform said police had warned him of a "credible threat", though it's understood police did not advise him to stay away. That left his most high-profile rival, Count Binface, to claim victory "out of the candidates who bothered to turn up". Mixed response from locals after result Count Binface became the most successful comedy candidate in British Parliamentary history, winning 9,455 votes — more than a quarter of the electorate. Mr Farage won 22,239 votes with a turnout of 44.37 per cent. At the general election of 2024, he got 21,225 votes, with a turnout of 58.7 per cent. In a post online, UK director of polling group More in Common, Luke Tryl, said Mr Farage would be pleased with his vote tally but Count Binface's share showed that opposition to Reform is also motivating voters. In the seaside town at the centre of the political circus, locals had mixed views. "It's a joke, an absolute joke. I just think the whole thing is a farce," said Emma, who has lived in Clacton with her partner and five children for 16 years. "We laugh at it every time we see it come up on the news." But for first time voter Elliot, voting for Count Binface was an act of political agency. The twenty-year-old said he was disappointed, not only with the result, but with the fact Mr Farage failed to attend the count. "We feel under-represented," Elliot said. "I'd love to have some actual representation here. It's disappointing again, but hopefully the local area will realise that." A few hundred metres along the boardwalk a longtime supporter of Mr Farage, Marie, defended his absence. "He was already thanking him last night at his party, wasn't he? He was," she said, referring to a private gathering Mr Farage attended where he declared victory hours before the official result. The 60-year-old Clacton resident did not believe it was necessary for Mr Farage to attend the public count, despite it being a longtime UK tradition. "I just think it was out of order that he had to choose to do the by-election in the first place, because everyone's against him,"Marie said. Not everyone believed the claim the by-election was Mr Farage versus the establishment. "They're all the same, they're all out to play with their own nests," 63-year-old Mick said. Like many others we spoke to along the foreshore, Mick hasn't voted for years. "It's just a bunch of clowns, isn't it?" he said. "The biggest clown won." Despite the constant circus comparisons, the by-election's returning officer, chief executive of Tendring Council Ian Davidson, told the ABC the election was extremely serious. "In this area here you have some of the most deprived areas in England. You also have more people with mental health issues that are ahead of population than anywhere else in England," he said. The area has faced decades of economic and social decline thanks to a decline in tourism and high economic inactivity. "So for us it really isn't a joke," Mr Davidson said. "We want our MP being in parliament, fighting for us. Whoever that MP may be." Clacton lively for election day The day of the by-election also happened to be the hottest day of the year in England. The foreshore was packed with families and rainbow beach umbrellas. As the closest sandy beach to London, around 130 kilometres north-east of the capital, it was a popular spot. Long lines of locals and tourists queued up for ice cream or fish and chips in front of the town's iconic amusement park on the pier. The seat of Clacton is much broader than Clacton-On-Sea — it includes rural villages, farmland and several seaside towns. No matter where you go there, no-one's apathetic about their re-elected local member. His constituents either love or loathe him. One of the local taxi drivers told us he didn't want to talk about politics before volunteering that he planned to vote for Mr Farage. The grandfather had lived in Clacton for 16 years and agreed with the MP's approach to immigration. "I'm not racist but you've got to look after your own," he told me. Some locals told us Mr Farage was a frequent visitor. Others claimed he was never there. One place Mr Farage has frequented over the years is his favourite local pub, The Three Jays. When we dropped in on polling day it was covered with Reform signs. The landlord jokingly told us it's "Nigel's pub". Many of the regulars consider Mr Farage a friend. Inside, patrons drunk beer on Reform coasters, seated under Union Jack bunting while listening to a soundtrack of 80s classics. David and Margi treated themselves to a pub lunch after voting for Mr Farage. "I think he's brilliant," Margi said. Neither one was concerned about the expenses scandal that triggered his resignation. "Like he said, he's going to need protection for the rest of his life," the 78-year-old said, referring to Mr Farage's claim he needed the five million pound "gift" for security. But not everyone is so keen on Mr Farage. Back in the pub car park, a man driving past in a blue hatchback slowed down when he saw our microphone. "Nigel Farage is rubbish," he yelled, before taking off again. Given the unusual nature of the vote, analysts disagree over its broader significance. Loading...Before he called the by-election, Mr Farage was riding high in the polls. Since then, the political landscape has shifted significantly, with the ruling Labour party enjoying a bump after a change in prime minister. "Certainly since this by-election was called and Mr Burnham became prime minister, Reform's vote has been dropping. Not a lot, one or two points, but it is behind Labour in many polls now," UK election guru Sir John Curtice told the ABC. Apart from the polls the result has meant a return to the status quo. Mr Farage is still the MP, and the parliamentary investigation into Mr Farage's finances that was paused during the campaign has already restarted. Loading