Reform UK's Nigel Farage beats fringe candidates in boycotted election
- Nigel Farage won the Clacton-on-Sea by-election and returned to the House of Commons.
- The contest was boycotted by Britain’s major parties, which described it as a political stunt.
- The field included 34 candidates, with Count Binface serving as the main challenger among several fringe and joke candidates.
- After the result, a parliamentary watchdog investigation into whether Farage failed to report a 5 million pound gift was resumed, leaving open the possibility that he could face further action.
Nigel Farage won the Clacton-on-Sea by-election on Friday, regaining a seat in the British Parliament for his Reform UK party. The race was held without participation from the country’s major parties, which had boycotted it after calling the contest a political stunt.
The ballot featured 34 candidates, many of them from fringe or joke campaigns. Count Binface, a recurring candidate known for symbolic protest runs, became the main visible challenger in the field.
Farage had quit the seat in July while questions were being raised about whether he properly declared a 5 million pound gift from an overseas crypto billionaire. He said victory early in the morning and did not attend the formal result announcement.
Hours after the win was announced, a parliamentary watchdog resumed its suspended inquiry into the donation issue. That leaves open the possibility that Farage could be forced out of Parliament and face another election.
改革英国党领袖奈杰尔·法拉奇在主要政党抵制的补选中击败一众边缘候选人
奈杰尔·法拉奇在周五赢得克拉克顿海滨补选，代表改革英国党重新进入英国议会下院。此次选举没有英国主要政党参加，他们在此前将这场竞选称作政治作秀并选择抵制。
这场选举共有34名候选人参选，其中不少来自边缘派别或带有戏谑色彩的竞选活动。以多次参选闻名的 Count Binface 成了场上的主要对手。
法拉奇在7月辞去原席位，当时外界正质疑他是否如实申报了一笔来自海外加密货币富豪、价值500万英镑的赠礼。他在凌晨宣布获胜，但没有出席正式结果公布仪式。
结果公布数小时后，议会监督机构恢复了此前暂停的相关调查。这意味着法拉奇仍可能面临被迫离开议会的风险，并可能再次进入补选。