Nigel Farage faces Clacton by-election test as 75,000 voters head to the polls
As many as 75,000 Britons are set to make their voices heard today at the Clacton by-election - the sixth at Westminster since 2024.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage resigned as an MP to trigger the contest at the start of July, calling the poll a "people vs establishment" vote.
Mr Farage was being investigated by the parliamentary standards commissioner over a £5million gift, 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.
None of the other main Westminster parties stood candidates to take part in this contest, with Mr Farage one of 34 people - largely independents - standing instead.
Among those to contest the seat is satirical candidate Count Binface, whose real name is Jonathan Harvey.
Mr Harvey studied classics at Oxford, has worked as a scriptwriter for comedy shows including Have I Got News for You, and has stood against Boris Johnson, Andy Burnham, Rishi Sunak and Sadiq Khan at various elections in the past.
The Reclaim Party’s Laurence Fox, the Social Democratic Party’s William Clouston and three candidates from the Monster Raving Loony Party join the record-breaking list of candidates in Clacton today.
World Affairs Correspondent
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