Clacton by-election result live: Polls close as Nigel Farage faces long wait to see if he’s beaten Count Binface

The Labour Party has said Nigel Farage “can’t run from the truth forever” as polls closed in the Clacton by-election, as they said questions over donations he had received would continue.

Labour chose not to stand a candidate against the Reform UK leader, however, Labour chairwoman Bridget Phillipson said he would still face questions over his funding.

She said: “Nigel Farage spent 38 days fighting a bin in his most desperate attempt yet to deflect attention from the sleaze and scandals engulfing him and his party.

“Farage may succeed in his run-off against a bin, but he can’t run from the truth forever.

“The list of unanswered questions about the £5 million gift he hid from the public, his support from a convicted fraudster, and the mountain of other scandals he and Reform are facing isn’t going away. In fact, it’s getting longer by the day.

“It’s time to stop the excuses and desperate distractions and finally come clean with the public.

“If Farage has nothing to hide, he surely would have done so by now.”

Polls have closed in the Clacton by-election with Nigel Farage hoping to retain his seat.

Polling stations in the Essex resort shut at 10pm having been open since 7am.

The result is likely to be announced on Friday morning.

The man was arrested on 7 August 2026 on suspicion of inciting racial hatred and assisting an offender as part of an investigation into how information about the homes was shared.

Tensions flared in Thetford, Norfolk, last week when homes linked to asylum seekers were targeted, with many forced to flee, and police officers were assaulted.

However, the proposed workplace reforms are nevertheless expected to “support growth” through the improvement of conditions for staff, an impact assessment published on Wednesday states.

The total direct expense to employers resulting from the ban is estimated to lie between £350 million and £2.9 billion each year, with figures showing an “indicative central” baseline of £1.1 billion.

Ministers are consulting on whether to extend the measures to anyone working 48 hours a week, though official preference remains a threshold between eight and 20 hours.

Before quitting Westminster, Nigel Farage was being investigated by the parliamentary standards commissioner Daniel Greenberg over a £5 million gift from cryptocurrency tycoon Christopher Harborne, which he received before taking his seat in the Commons.

Under Commons rules, new MPs are required to register any gifts worth more than £300 they received in the previous 12 months, except where the gift “could not be reasonably thought by others” to relate to their political activities.

That investigation was paused when Mr Farage resigned his seat but will resume if he wins the by-election – as bookmakers have made him the firm favourite to do.

Mr Farage could also face an investigation over support provided by George Cottrell, a long-term ally.

Mr Cottrell reportedly recruited and paid three staff to work on Mr Farage’s social media before the general election, and has continued to allow him to use a five-storey Georgian property he rented near Buckingham Palace.

A quaint village in Oxfordshire has staged a referendum where they have voted to leave the United Kingdom – over concerns about a nearby military site being used to house asylum seekers.

The Home Office is considering using the Bicester barracks to house 1,250 people, but this has been met with fierce opposition from the 350 local residents of Piddington.

A Reform councillor has been suspended after resurfaced social media posts appeared to show him calling for the Commons speaker to be hanged.

In another post, which has not yet been deleted, the account also made homophobic comments, having said he doesn’t believe “gays should have kids full stop”.

A Reform UK spokesperson said: “Cllr Rowan has been suspended from Reform UK pending investigation.”

Katie Rosseinsky takes a look at the man behind the mask:

Here are all 34 candidates:

• Joseph 77 (Independent)
• Adham Alkhatip (The Forward Party)
• Count Binface (Count Binface Party)
• Nick The Incredible Flying Brick (The Official Monster Raving Loony Party)
• Tony Cane (Independent)
• Woke Trump Carrzee (Independent)
• William Stuart James Clouston (Social Democratic Party)
• Rees Cowne (Independent)
• Glenn Charles Cummings (Independent)
• Martin Davies (Freedom Alliance – Real People, Real Alternative!)
• Andy Erlam (Independent)
• Nigel Farage (Reform UK)
• Attieh Fard (Independent)
• Laurence Fox (The Reclaim Party)
• Tony Francis (Independent)
• Robin Green (Independent)
• Abi Hookway (Independent)
• Howling Laud Hope (The Official Monster Raving Loony Party)
• Stephen Richard Ingram (Independent)
• Amy Morris (Independent)
• Derrick Norbert Morris (Independent)
• Michael Noel O’Keeffe (Independent)
• Martyn OBrien (Independent)
• Nick Pelas (Independent)
• Ketankumar Pipaliya (UK VOICE safer and stronger UK)
• Daniel Pocock (Independent)
• James Ransley (Consensus Party Candidate)
• Gerry Smith (Independent)
• Kai Stephens (British Democrats)
• John Stevens (Rejoin EU)
• Baron Von Thunderclap (The Official Monster Raving Loony Party)
• Pamela Walford (Independent)
• Marcus White (Everyone is God Party)
• Marc Wilkinson (Independent)