Source : Perth Now news
Nigel Farage has declared victory in a crucial UK by-election, and says the result is an “overwhelming” endorsement of him.
The Reform UK leader on Thursday said he had won “fairly convincingly” in Clacton as counting was under way for the by-election he called following scrutiny of a £5 million ($A9.5 million) donation from a cryptocurrency tycoon.
As polls closed on Thursday night, Labour and the Conservatives said the result would not draw a line under the saga.
Speaking to GB News at a party-organised event in Essex, Farage was asked whether he had won, and replied: “Yeah, very convincingly, I’ve managed to beat the establishment candidate.”
“Look, this is an overwhelming endorsement of me. I have had enough of being judged by mainstream media, being called a criminal,” he said.
“Do you know, if I made one sin, if I haven’t filled in a piece of paper, I’ve broken no law, I’ve broken no tax law, I’ve taken no public money, I don’t even own a motorhome.
“Maybe I haven’t filled in a piece of paper. I’m confident that I’m right, we’ll see where we go. I put this to the people of Clacton, said ‘You decide my future’, and tonight they will.”
Farage also said he had been proved right to call the by-election after he claimed “attacks” and “threats” towards his family had reduced.
A record 34 candidates are standing. Satirical candidate Count Binface appears to be Farage’s main challenger.
Speaking to Sky News, Count Binface, a character created by Jonathan David Harvey, referred to the possibility of a second by-election in the seat if Farage is found to have broken Parliamentary rules.
“You just said at the beginning of this interview that Nigel Farage is claiming victory, but in that case 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,” he said.
“Even if I got to 12 per cent, so one-in-eight people in Clacton would rather vote for a space warrior shaped like a bin than Nigel Farage, that would be interesting wouldn’t it?
“If it goes higher and higher and higher, it says more about what the actual population thinks about Nigel Farage than maybe this election.”
Turnout was 44.37 per cent, just more than 14 per cent down on the 2024 general election turnout.
Extra staff and resources had been put on to deal with the election.
Photographers and TV cameras covering the count have been advised by officials they will need a wide-angle lens to fit all the candidates into a single shot.
Before quitting Westminster, Farage was being investigated by the parliamentary standards commissioner Daniel Greenberg over a £5 million ($A9.5 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 ($A570) 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 Farage resigned his seat but will resume if he wins the by-election, as bookmakers have made him the firm favourite to do.
The main Westminster parties refused to take part in this contest but could stand if the outcome of the standards investigation into Farage results in another by-election.
If he is found to have broken the rules and a suspension of more than 10 days is imposed, it could trigger a recall petition and the prospect of Farage losing his seat, forcing a second contest.
In the 2024 general election, Farage won Clacton with 46.2 per cent of the vote and a majority of 8405 over his Conservative rival.
