Reform UK leader Nigel Farage beats Count Binface to regain seat in widely mocked election

Nigel Farage beat trash-can wearing comic candidate Count Binface on Friday, regaining a seat in Parliament he quit a month ago to trigger the widely mocked special election.

Farage, leader of the anti-immigration Reform UK party who some see as a possible next prime minister, abruptly quit his seat in July amid an investigation into whether he failed to report a £5-million, or $9.3-million gift from a crypto billionaire overseas.

He said he would run for the open seat to prove he had voters' support, and regain it with 63 per cent of the vote. Binface, who finished in second, won about 27 per cent. The election, held on the hottest day of the year so far, had a turnout of 44 per cent.

Binface, a serial candidate who has challenged prime ministers past and present, became the default challenger in a field of 34 candidates after the major parties boycotted the campaign as a political stunt by Farage.

Nigel Farage's only by-election challenger is self-proclaimed space alien Count Binface

Farage declared victory in the early morning and did not attend the official declaration where he would have had to stand alongside the other candidates, many of them running joke campaigns.

Farage said he didn't attend because police told him about an "organized campaign to disrupt and degrade the result." A spokesperson for Reform said there was a "credible threat" against him, though police disputed that.

"We have a proportionate and robust policing operation to ensure the safety and security of all participants in the count," an Essex police spokesperson said.

Binface ran on a wacky platform that included a vow to "cut your taxes, and raise everyone else's," build one affordable home and nationalize singer Adele.

The victory by Farage showed his strong support in the Clacton area on the east coast of England but it doesn't ensure he'll be able to keep the seat.

An investigation by a parliamentary watchdog that was suspended when he stepped down is likely to resume and could still lead to Farage being forced out of parliament to face yet another election.

Parliament's standards watchdog is investigating an undeclared donation to Farage in 2024 from Christopher Harborne, a Thailand-based cryptocurrency billionaire. Farage says he didn't need to declare the money because it was a personal gift he used to fund his security and came before he was elected.

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However, newly elected lawmakers must declare gifts worth more than 300 pounds ($560 Cdn) received in the previous year if they are related to political activities.