Clacton by-election live: Nigel Farage makes final push for support with voters set to go to polls on Thursday

The ultimate winner from this entirely unnecessary contest will be neither the Reform leader nor Britain’s most prominent waste receptacle, as Sean O’Grady explains.

One in five people in Clacton would rather vote for Count Binface in the upcoming by-election than vote for Nigel Farage, polls reveal.

A survey by Survation for Mandate Research of voters in Clacton suggests Mr Farage would win 73 per cent of the vote, while his main rival Count Binface could sweep up an estimated 20 per cent of the vote.

In an Ipsos poll asking the general public who they would vote for in a hypothetical head-to-head, a third (33 per cent) of British adults said they would prefer Count Binface to win the race, while only 21 per cent back the Reform UK leader.

Meanwhile, the poll found 32 per cent wouldn’t want either of them to win and 13 per cent didn’t know who they would choose.

You can read more about the latest polls below:

In his manifesto, Count Binface has pledged to build “at least one affordable house”.

It might sound like the political jibes that the satirist has become known for, but the issue of homelessness sits close to Count Binface’s heart – or, rather, his “central fluid-pumping organ”.

In this clip from the latest episode of In The Room, he explains why he’s such an avid supporter of the anti-homelessness charity Shelter, and how he thinks the royal family could help ease the UK housing crisis.

Polling stations will open at 7am and close at 10pm. The result is expected to be announced in the early hours of Friday.

But because there are a total of 34 candidates – a record number for any parliamentary contest – counting could go on for longer than anticipated and push the announcement to 5am.

Nigel Farage dramatically announced that he would step down from parliament and call a by-election in his Clacton seat, which he would contend after claiming he was the victim of “an establishment stitch-up”.

His decision to force a contest followed continued questions about a £5m donation he received from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne and gifts from a convicted criminal, George Cottrell.

Tendring District Council has confirmed a total of 34 candidates – a record for any parliamentary contest.

Nigel Farage – Reform UK

Count Binface – Count Binface Party

Nick the Incredible Flying Brick – Monster Raving Loony Party

William Clouston – Social Democratic Party

Martin Davies – Freedom Alliance

Adham Alkhatip – Forward Party

Howling Laud Hope – Monster Raving Loony Party

Ketankumar Pipaliya – UKVoice

James Ransley – Consensus Party

Kai Stephens – British Democratic Party

John Stevens – Rejoin EU Party

Baron Von Thunderclap – Monster Raving Loony Party

Marcus White – Everyone is God party

Marc Wilkinson – Independent

Pamela Walford – Independent

Gerry Smith – Independent

Daniel Pocock – Independent

Nicholas Pelas – Independent

Martyn O’Brien – Independent

Michael O’Keeffe – Independent

Derrick Morris – Independent

Amy Morris – Independent

Stephen Ingram – Independent

Abi Hookway – Independent

Robin Green – Independent

Tony Francis – Independent

Attieh Fard – Independent

Andy Erlam – Independent

Glenn Cummings – Independent

Rees Cowne – Independent

Woke Trump Carrzee – Independent

Tony Cane – Independent

Joseph 77 – Independent

After all other major political parties refused to stand in the Clacton by election, Nigel Farage’s main competitor has emerged as Count Binface.

The satirical character has pledged to abolish VAR in football, conscript people who play loud music on public transport and “nationalise Adele”

The comedian, who is described as an “independent space warrior” and wears a bin on his head, has contested a number of elections, including contests against Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak and most recently the by-election in Makerfield, where he received 95 votes.

The man behind the mask is Jonathan David Harvey, a comedian who has has worked on shows including Have I Got News For You and the Thick of It.