The hard-right politician Nigel Farage secured a resounding victory on Friday in a by-election he forced to prove his popularity with voters, but faced humiliation after refusing to attend the count.
More than a quarter of voters backed the satirical candidate Count Binface, a character created by comedian Jonathan Harvey, who has become a fixture of fun at British elections.
The result produced a striking political scene as the man who regained his seat boycotted the announcement, which saw nearly 10,000 voters back a candidate wearing a bin on his head.
He is thought to be the first by-election victor not to attend the count since 1981 when Bobby Sands, the IRA hunger striker, won a by-election despite being in prison.
Mr Farage, the populist Reform leader, won 22,239 votes, comfortably defeating his nearest rival, who secured 9,455, almost 27 per cent of all votes cast. The turnout was 44.37 per cent, with 35,401 votes cast.
The result means Mr Farage won the seat with nearly 63 per cent of the vote, but the extraordinary performance by his main opponent provided a striking backdrop to a contest in which a record 34 candidates stood, mostly independents or eccentrics.
The anti-immigration politician's absence from the stage prompted confusion after he said police had advised him not to attend because of an “organised campaign to disrupt” the event.
Police did not confirm that such advice had been given, while the returning officer said he was unaware of any warning. A Reform spokesperson said police "advised Nigel not to attend the count tonight due to a credible threat against him".
There were also reports that Mr Farage had told a party event he would not stand on stage to be “demeaned and humiliated by a bunch of nobodies”.
Mr Farage posted on social media a picture of himself, silhouetted at a party event overnight, captioning it "The result in Clacton speaks for itself".
The by-election was triggered after Mr Farage resigned his seat in protest at what he described as a parliamentary “witch-hunt” into a £5 million donation made to him before he became an MP.
He said he wanted to “take on the establishment” and demonstrate that he retained the support of voters. However, all the major parties declined to contest the election, leaving the field dominated by independents, protest candidates and political eccentrics.
Turnout was very low at 44 per cent, with 35,401 votes cast.
After enjoying a lengthy lead in the opinion polls, Reform has seen its popularity wane, driven partly by the funding accusations made against Mr Farage.
Labour seized on Count Binface's performance, with Bridget Phillipson, the party's chair, declaring that the result was no victory for Mr Farage.
“Let's be clear: this is no victory for Nigel Farage,” she wrote on X. “The mountain of sleaze and scandal he and Reform are now engulfed in has grown and grown while he's been trying to distract the public by fighting a by-election against a bin.”
She said Mr Farage should “wake up and smell the coffee” and demanded that he come clean over the £5 million donation, his relationship with convicted fraudster George Cottrell and what she described as other scandals surrounding Reform.
“Farage's distraction by-election doesn't clear his name – it just shows he likely has so much more to hide,” she said.
The Liberal Democrats Cabinet Office spokesperson Lisa Smart said the election had been caused by someone "having a temper tantrum to avoid scrutiny".
Despite the emphatic win, Mr Farage will now see the parliamentary inquiry into his political donation reopen with the possibility of another by-election - this time with the major parties standing - if he is found at fault. He denies any wrongdoing.
