No-show Nigel Farage: Has Clacton by-election against Count Binface massively backfired for the Reform leader?

Victorious MPs bask in their moment of glory just minutes after election results are announced.Count Binface reacts after the declaration for the Clacton by-election count at Clacton Leisure Centre in EssexPAMr Farage actually pre-empted the official result by effectively declaring himself the winner.A Reform UK spokesperson later said: “Essex Police advised Nigel not to attend the count tonight due to a credible threat against him.”However, Esssex Police did not tell Mr Farage, or any other candidate, not to attend the count, according to local sources.A spokesman for the force said: “We have a proportionate and robust policing operation to ensure the safety and security of all participants in the count.”Council acting returning officer and chief executive Ian Davidson said he did not believe there was any threat serious enough for the count to be called off.With the dust still not settled at Clacton Leisure Centre, where the count involving a 90cm ballot paper took place, it was not yet clear exactly what the truth was.Votes being counted for the Clacton by-election at Clacton Leisure Centre in EssexPA WireBut there are two clear possibilities.The first is that someone did warn Mr Farage of a possible threat, or at least he and Reform genuinely thought that they had been told of such a danger.After the killing of Ann Widdecombe at her Dartmoor home in Devon, MPs are on even greater alert to the threats against them.The second is that Mr Farage did not want to be photographed at the election next to Count Binface.Nigel Farage and Count BinfaceNigel Farage and Count BinfaceRead MoreMr Farage denies any wrongdoing.The lack of other contenders from the main parties, left the field open to a two-horse race between the Reform leader and Count Binface.Now, Mr Farage did well in boosting his level of support, from 46.2% at the 2024 general election to 63.3%.But more than one in four Clacton voters, 26.9%, backed a man who walks around the streets with a bin on his head.Count Binface in ClactonGettyIf the Reform leader had turned up to the count, the photo and footage of him and Count Binface would have been beamed around Britain and the world with media in America, Australia, India, Japan and across Europe already covering the bizarre by-election.Mr Farage will now return to Parliament where he will face a renewed inquiry into a £5 million donation from cryptocurrency tycoon Christopher Harborne. He could also face an investigation over support provided by George Cottrell, a long-term ally.If he is found to have broken the rules for MPs, Mr Farage could be suspended from the Commons and if this is for at least ten days it could lead to another by-election in Clacton under the recall mechanism.Mr Farage was claiming that the people of Clacton had “stuck two fingers up at the entire political establishment” by backing him in such large numbers.In Trump-style words, he added: “Look, this is an overwhelming endorsement of me. I have had enough of being judged by mainstream media, being called a criminal.” But Labour Chair Bridget Phillipson said: “This is no victory for Nigel Farage. 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.“ Labour chair Bridget Phillipson PA WireSo the Reform leader has clearly not drawn a line in the sand over the furore by resigning from Parliament and sparking the by-election, which could now be followed by a second one.Or as Count Binface says: “It’s going to be a two-legged match like the Carabao Cup or the Cold War, because we’re going to be back again in a few weeks aren’t we? We’ll see what happens then.”