"An attempt to humiliate me": The warning preventing Farage from celebrating his victory
Nigel Farage has regained his seat in the British Parliament and declared a "crushing victory," but was absent from the vote count after stating he was warned by police about an organized campaign intended to disrupt and disparage the result.
Nigel Farage, leader of the British right-wing party "Reform UK," said on Friday that he had regained his seat in Parliament, but would not appear at the vote count after police warned him of a campaign intended to disrupt the event.
Farage won the by-election in Clacton by a large margin, receiving 22,239 votes — 62.8% of the vote. His closest rival, a parody candidate named Count Binface, dressed as an intergalactic trash can, received 9,455 votes — 26.7%. The gap between the two stood at 12,784 votes, and the turnout was 44%.
After weeks of facing accusations that he did not properly report millions of pounds received from a wealthy supporter, Farage resigned unexpectedly from Parliament last month, aiming to seek the voters' trust again in an election he defined as a struggle of "the people against the establishment" in the coastal town of Clacton in southern England.
Even before the official results were published, Farage told his supporters at a party event that he had achieved a "crushing victory," which he called a "huge vote of confidence." However, according to him, the local police informed him that there was an "organized campaign to disrupt and disparage" the election results.
"I am not prepared to stand on a stage after winning a crushing victory, and then be humiliated and disparaged by people of no importance. Unfortunately, I will not be attending the vote count."
As recalled, on July 7, Farage unexpectedly announced his resignation from Parliament and his intention to run again in a by-election in the Clacton district, where he was first elected in 2024. The move came against the backdrop of a parliamentary investigation and accusations that he did not report as required gifts and donations he received from wealthy supporters, including a gift worth more than 5 million pounds. Farage denied any wrongdoing and claimed he was subject to a smear campaign by "the establishment" and the liberal elite.
When announcing the resignation, Farage presented the by-election as a struggle of "the people against the establishment," and said he wanted the residents of Clacton to be the ones to judge his actions. The major parties in Britain chose not to field candidates against him, after describing the move as a political stunt.
