Clacton By-Election: Farage Faces Record 34-Candidate Ballot Including Count Binface

Polls opened on Thursday in the Clacton parliamentary by-election, triggered by Nigel Farage's resignation as MP in early July amid a scandal over gifts he received. The Reform UK leader is seeking re-election in a contest featuring a record 34 candidates, the longest ballot paper in British history. His most prominent challenger is Count Binface, a novelty candidate known for his trash can-themed persona, alongside other fringe figures such as Howling Laud Hope. The by-election is seen as a test of Farage's political standing after he came under pressure over his financial declarations.