In the sunny seaside town of Clacton-on-Sea, the pier, beach and arcades are packed with locals and holidaymakers clutching dripping ice cream cones and cradling platters of fish and chips.
Walk further into the residential neighbourhoods of this Essex town, and Union flags and St George’s crosses fly outside many homes, some bearing a placard reading “I’m with Nigel”.
Stop and chat to locals sitting in the sun, enjoying a brisk sea breeze, and people are more than happy to talk about the imminent by-election, Nigel Farage and one of his favourite topics: small boats.
This week, Farage doubled down on plans to deploy the Royal Navy to turn small boats back to France if Reform UK enters government. “Within a fortnight, there would be no more boats,” Farage told reporters.
It’s long been a hot topic for Reform voters, but this year’s small boats figures – so far – are actually lower than the two previous years. According to the Migration Observatory, small boat crossings were down 13 per cent by the end of May compared to the same time in 2025.
