Nigel Farage to face 33 opponents in Clacton by-election

Nigel Farage will face 33 other candidates in a snap by-election in Clacton, eastern England, after nominations closed for the August 13 vote.

Tendring District Council, which will run the contest, said Farage and 33 opponents will be on the ballot. The council said the total of 34 candidates is believed to be a record for a parliamentary election.

Farage has represented Clacton in parliament since 2024. He triggered the by-election after saying earlier this month that he would quit as an MP and then stand again. The move came during pressure over the non-disclosure of gifts, including alleged gifts from a convicted fraudster.

Britain's mainstream parties have chosen not to contest the poll. That leaves Farage's most high-profile opponent as Count Binface, a joke candidate whose persona is described as an intergalactic space warrior and is performed by a stand-up comedian wearing a rubbish bin, armour and a grey cape.

Other candidates include Alan "Howling Laud" Hope, leader of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party. The party is also fielding deputy leader Baron Von Thunderclap and treasurer Nick the Flying Brick, who calls for the abolition of gravity. The list also includes actor and anti-woke activist Laurence Fox, other fringe party candidates and independents.

Farage, leader of Reform UK, spoke at a CPAC conservative political conference in London on Friday. He said the people of Clacton could decide whether to back him or what he called the Establishment. He added that he had taken a gamble and hoped voters would side with him.