POLLS HAVE CLOSED in one of the most bizarre byelections the UK has ever seen, with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage hoping to retain his seat in Clacton.

His main rival is Count Binface, a satirical candidate and self-styled “intergalactic space warrior”, due to the fact that none of the UK’s main political parties stood a candidate when Farage triggered the byelection by resigning last month. 

Polling stations in the Essex seaside resort shut at 10pm tonight having been open since 7am.

The result is likely to be announced on Friday morning. 

Ballot boxes arrive for the Clacton byelection in Essex. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Farage’s resignation was a protest at media and parliamentary scrutiny of donations from his backers. He said it was a chance to “stick two fingers up to the establishment”.

With the main Westminster parties dismissing the byelection as a stunt, a record 34 candidates are standing in Clacton, where roughly 78,000 people are eligible to vote.

While Farage wanted it to be a “people versus the establishment” showdown, rather than Labour and Tory rivals, his other opponents include former GB News presenter Laurence Fox, three from the Official Monster Raving Loony Party and an array of independents.

The contest is estimated to have cost taxpayers about £250,000 (€292,000).

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, with the ballot paper around 3ft long.

Before quitting Westminster, Farage was being investigated by the UK’s parliamentary standards commissioner Daniel Greenberg over a £5 million (€5.85 million) gift from cryptocurrency tycoon Christopher Harborne, which he received before taking his seat in the House of Commons.

Street art depicts Count Binface with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage in a rubbish bin on the sea wall near Clacton Pier. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Under Commons rules, new MPs are required to register any gifts worth more than £300 (€350) 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 byelection – as bookmakers have made him the firm favourite to do.

Farage could also face an investigation over support provided by George Cottrell, a long-term ally.

Cottrell reportedly recruited and paid three staff to work on Farage’s social media before the general election, and has continued to allow him to use a five-storey, Georgian property he rented near Buckingham Palace.

The main Westminster parties could stand if the outcome of the standards investigation into Farage results in another byelection.

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.

A car with a Reform UK leader Nigel Farage poster in Little Clacton. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

In the 2024 general election, Farage won Clacton with 46.2% of the vote and a majority of 8,405 over his Conservative rival.

Labour Party chairwoman Bridget Phillipson said: “Nigel Farage spent 38 days fighting a bin in his most desperate attempt yet to deflect attention from the sleaze and scandals engulfing him and his party.

“Farage may succeed in his run-off against a bin, but he can’t run from the truth forever. The list of unanswered questions about the £5 million gift he hid from the public, his support from a convicted fraudster and the mountain of other scandals he and Reform are facing isn’t going away. In fact, it’s getting longer by the day.

“It’s time to stop the excuses and desperate distractions and finally come clean with the public. If Farage has nothing to hide, he surely would have done so by now.”

A Conservative Party spokesman said: “Nigel Farage called this fake by-election in a desperate attempt to draw a line under the questions surrounding his fishy £5 million donation. Whatever the outcome on Friday, this stunt has not done that.”

With reporting from Press Association